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JOSEPH  SOLD  TO  THE  MERCHANTS. 


SCRIPTURE  HISTORIES 


LITTLE  CHILDKEN. 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OV 


"MAMMA'S     BIBLE     STORIES." 


SIXTEEN    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY   JOHN   GILBERT. 


NEW-TOEK  : 
EVANS    AND    DIOKERSON, 

697    BROADWAY. 
1854. 


Jof)ii  '3.  ffiirajj, 

PRINTER  AND  STEREOTYPES, 

PS  ft  P7  Cliff,  cor     Frankfort. 


%\t  jistflrg  at  $bm$\. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Joseph  in  his  Coat  of  Many  Coloues  —  Wanders  in  Search 
of  his  Brothers  —  They  put  him  into  the  Pit  —  Sell  him 
to  some  Merchantmen. 

HERE  are  many  beautiful  stories  in 
the  Bible.  One  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  them  is  the  story  of  Joseph. 
Joseph's  father's  name  was  Jacob. 
Jacob  had  twelve  sons;  and  Joseph  was 
the  youngest  but  one.  He  was  a  good  and 
dutiful  boy,  and  his  father  loved  him  very 
much.  He  gave  him  a  coat  of  many  colours 
to  wear ;  and  this  made  his  brothers  jealous. 
They  thought  their  father  loved  Joseph  more 


2  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

than  he  loved  them;  and  this  made  them 
feel  angry  and  unkind.  One  day  the  ten 
brothers  were  among  the  mountains,  some 
way  from  home,  taking  care  of  their  father's 
flocks,  for  they  were  shepherds.  Joseph, 
and  his  little  brother  Benjamin,  the  youngest 
of  the  twelve  sons,  were  left  at  home.  Jacob 
told  Joseph  he  wished  he  would  go  and  see 
after  his  brothers,  and  bring  him  word  where 
they  were,  and  how  they  were  going  on.  Like 
a  good  and  obedient  son,  he  set  off  directly, 
wearing  his  coat  of  many  colours.  After  he 
had  wandered  about  in  the  fields  for  some 
time,  he  met  a  man,  and  the  man  asked  him 
whom  he  was  looking  for ;  and  Joseph  said 
he  was  looking  for  his  brothers.  Then  the 
man  told  him  which  way  they  were  gone ; 
and  Joseph  went  in  search  of  them,  as  his 
father  had  bid  him. 
When  Joseph's  brothers  saw  him  at  a  dis- 


JOSEPH    IS    PUT    INTO    THE    PIT.  6 

tance  coming  towards  them,  they  were  vexed 
and  angry.  Perhaps  they  thought  he  was  only 
coming  to  see  what  they  were  about,  and  that 
he  would  go  back  and  tell  their  father  some 
tales  about  them.  If  they  had  been  kind 
brothers,  they  would  have  been  glad  to  see 
Joseph,  as  he  had  come  more  than  fifty  miles, 
and  had  taken  so  much  trouble  to  find  them. 
But  instead  of  being  kind,  they  began  to  say 
to  each  other,  "  What  shall  we  do  with  him? 
Let  us  kill  him,  and  then  tell  our  father  that 
a  wild  beast  has  torn  him  to  pieces  ;  and  as 
'he  is  so  far  off,  he  will  never  know."  But 
Eeuben,  the  eldest  of  the  brothers,  said,  "  No. 
Do  not  let  us  kill  him  with  our  own  hands, 
but  let  us  put  him  into  this  pit."  For  there 
was  a  deep  pit  in  the  middle  of  the  wide 
common.  But  there  was  no  water  in  the  pit. 
Reuben  was  not  quite  so  cruel  as  the  others, 
and  he,  perhaps,  meant  to  take  Joseph  out 


4:  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

of  the  pit  and  send  him  back  to  his  father 
again,  when  his  brothers  were  gone  away. 
So,  as  soon  as  Joseph  reached  the  place  where 
they  were,  they  caught  hold  of  him .  roughly, 
pulled  off  the  coat  of  many  colours,  which  his 
father  had  given  him,  and  without  minding 
his  cries  and  tears,  bound  cords  round  his 
hands  and  feet,  and  threw  him  down  into  the 
dark  dismal  pit.  Poor  Joseph !  how  it  must 
have  grieved  him  to  think  he  should  never 
see  his  dear  father  again !  and  how  cold  and 
hungry  he  must  have  felt !  Brothers  and 
sisters  ought  to  love  each  other,  and  to  try 
to  make  each  other  happy,  instead  of  being 
cruel  and  unkind,  like  Joseph's  naughty 
brothers. 

Soon  after  the  brothers  had  done  this  cruel 
thing  to  poor  Joseph,  Reuben  went  away,  and 
the  rest  sat  down  on  the  grass  a  little  way 
off  to  eat  their  dinner,     How  sad  it  was  that 


JOSEPH    SOLD    TO    THE    MERCHANTS.  O 

they  could  eat  and  drink  and  be  happy,  when 
they  knew  their  poor  brother  was  left  to 
starve  in  the  pit !  Whilst  they  were  eating 
their  dinner,  they  saw  a  great  many  people 
coming  along  the  road.  These  people  were 
called  merchants.  They  were  riding  upon 
camels,  and  were  going  down  into  Egypt. 
Some  of  the  camels  were  laden  with  spices, 
and  balm,  and  myrrh,  which  the  merchants 
were  going  to  sell. 

As  soon  as  Joseph's  brothers  saw  the 
camels  and  merchants  coming  in  sight,  one 
of  them,  named  Judah,  said  to  the  others, 
"How  much  better  it  would  be  to  take  Joseph 
out  of  the  pit,  and  to  let  these  men  give  us 
some  money  for  him,  and  then  take  him  away 
with  them!"  The  other  brothers  said,  "Yes; 
it  would  be  a  very  good  plan  to  sell  Joseph." 
So  they  called  to  the  men,  and  asked  them  if 
they  would  buy  a  young  lad.     The  men  said, 


6  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

"Yes."  Then  the  cruel  brothers  went  and 
drew  Joseph  out  of  the  pit,  and  sold  him  to 
the  merchants  for  twenty  pieces  of  silver,  and 
the  merchants  put  Joseph  on  one  of  the 
camels,  and  took  him  away  with  them  to  be 
their  slave  or  servant.  Poor  fellow !  how 
sorrowful  he  must  have  felt  to  be  sent  so  far 
away  from  his  own  happy  home,  where  he 
used  to  live  when  he  was  a  little  boy ;  and 
from  his  father  and  his  dear  brother  Ben- 
jamin !  After  the  camels  were  gone,  Reuben, 
the  eldest  brother,  came  back  to  the  pit, 
meaning  most  likely  to  help  Joseph  out ;  but 
what  was  his  surprise  and  alarm  when  he 
found  the  pit  empty.  He  said,  "  Oh !  what 
shall  I  do  ?  The  child  is  not ;  and  I,  whither 
shall  I  go  ?"  Then  he  began  to  cry,  and  was 
afraid  of  going  home,  because  he  could  not 
bear  to  see  his  poor  father.  The  other 
brothers,  in  the  mean  time,  had  thought  of  a 


GRIEF    OF    JOSEPH  S    FATHER.  i 

plan  to  deceive  good  old  Jacob.  They  went 
and  killed  a  kid,  and  dipped  poor  Joseph's 
pretty  coat  in  its  blood,  and  then  carried  it 
home  to  their  father.  Thus  they  were  not- 
only  cruel  but  deceitful.  They  pretended 
that  some  wild  beast  had  killed  their  brother 
Joseph ;  and  when  their  father  Jacob  saw  the 
coat,  his  heart  was  almost  broken  with  grief. 
He  cried  very  much,  just  as  your  papa  and 
mamma  would  have  cried  if  they  had  lost  one 
of  their  dear  children  ;  but  the  naughty,  cruel, 
unkind  brothers  did  not  tell  him  what  had 
become  of  Joseph. 


& 


CHAPTER    II. 

Joseph  is  taken  to  Egypt  —  Sold  to  a  Rich  Man  —  He  is  put 
in  Prison  —  He  Explains  the  King's  Dream  —  The  King 
makes  Joseph  a  Ruler  over  the  Land. 

00R  Joseph !  where  is  he  now  ? 
He  is  far  away  from  his  dear 
Father.  The  merchantmen  are  taking 
him  down  to  Egypt,  to  sell  him  as  a 
slave.  He  is  very  sorrowful  and  un- 
happy. He  had  a  long  way  to  go  on 
the  camels  ;  and  it  was  many,  many  days 
before  the  merchants  got  down  to  Egypt; 
but  when  they  did  get  there,  they  sold 
Joseph  to  a  rich  man  who  lived  in  that  coun- 
try to  be  his  servant.  This  rich  man  was  a 
kind  man,  and  a  kind  master  to  Joseph.  He 
did  not  send  him  to  work  in  the  fields,  as  he 
did  many  of  his  poor  slaves,  but  he  made  him 


JOSEPH    IS    PUT    INTO    PRISON.  9 

a  servant  in  the  house,  and  told  him  to  take 
care  of  the  house  and  gardens  and  every  thing- 
else.  Joseph  took  great  pains  to  please  his 
master,  and  for  some  time  all  went  on  well, 
though  he  must  often  have  wept,  when  he 
thought  of  his  dear  aged  father,  and  of  his 
cruel  brothers.  At  last,  however,  without 
any  good  reason,  Joseph's  master  became 
angry  with  him,  very  angry  indeed,  and  he 
bound  him  in  chains  and  put  him  into  prison. 
A  prison  is  a  dark  gloomy  place  with  very 
small  windows,  and  bars  of  iron  before  the 
windows,  and  iron  gates  and  bolts.  The  man 
who  kept  the  keys  of  the  prison  was  called 
the  keeper.  God  put  it  into  this  keeper's 
heart  to  be  kind  to  Joseph,  and  Joseph 
behaved  so  well  that  the  keeper  soon  took 
off  his  chains,  and  allowed  him  to  walk  about 
where  he  liked,  and  to  take  care  of  the  other 
prisoners. 


10  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

v 

After  poor  Joseph  had  been  for  some  years 
in  prison,  the  king  of  the  country  had  a 
wonderful  dream,  and  he  tried  to  find  some 
one  who  could  tell  him  what  it  meant.  God 
was  pleased  at  that  time  sometimes  to  make 
his  will  known  by  means  of  dreams.  Some 
one  told  the  king  that  there  was  a  young  man 
in  the  prison  who  could  explain  dreams  ;  and 
the  king  said,  "  Let  him  be  sent  for."  So 
the  servants  came  to  the  prison,  and  said  to 
the  keeper,  "  We  are  come  to  fetch  the  young 
man  Joseph.  The  king  desires  to  speak  to 
him."  Joseph  must  have  been  glad  when  he 
heard  this.  He  was  dressed  in  poor  shabby 
clothes  not  fit  for  a  king  to  see,  but  the 
servants  gave  him  some  neat  clothes  to  put  on 
before  they  brought  him  to  the  king.  When 
he  came  into  the  king's  house,  the  king  said, 
"  I  hear  that  you  can  tell  the  meaning  of 
dreams."      Then   he   told    Joseph    his   two 


0^p0M^0^. 


JOSEPH  IN  PRISON. 


»  .     ,  '         '    '   : 

hkioif  odwmsi 

• 

JOSEPH    IS    MADE    RULER.  11 

dreams,  and  God  helped  Joseph  to  explain 
them  to  him.  Joseph  told  the  king  that 
there  would  soon  be  a  great  famine  in  the 
land — that  there  would  be  no  corn  to  make 
bread  of, — and  that  the  people  would  become 
hungry,  very  hungry  indeed,  because  they 
would  have  nothing  to  eat.  Joseph  then  told 
the  king  that  he  had  better  look  out  for  a 
very  wise  man  who  would  save  up  the  corn 
and  put  it  into  large  barns,  so  as  to  have  a 
store  of  food  for  the  people  against  the  time 
of  famine  came.  And  the  king  was  so  much 
pleased  with  what  Joseph  said,  and  thought 
him  so  wise  and  clever,  that  he  said  to  his 
servants,  "  Where  can  I  find  a  man  who  will 
do  so  well  as  Joseph  ?  Joseph  shall  be  ruler 
over  the  land,  and  shall  be  the  greatest  man 
in  the  country,  except  myself."  Then  the  king 
took  a  ring  off  his  own  finger  and  put  it  upon 
Joseph's  finger;  and  he  gave  him  beautiful 


12  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

clothes  to  wear,  and  put  a  gold  chain  about 
his  neck.  He  also  gave  him  a  fine  chariot  to 
ride  in,  and  desired  the  people  to  bow  down 
when  they  saw  Joseph's  chariot  coming. 
Thus  he  was  made  a  great  lord,  and  ruler  over 
all  the  land  of  Egypt.  Through  all  his  trou- 
bles God  took  care  of  him,  for  he  loved,  feared, 
and  obeyed  his  heavenly  Father. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Joseph's  Brothers  come  into  Egypt  to  buy  Corn  —  They  do 
not  know  Joseph  —  Joseph  tells  them  to  bring  Benjamin 
—  Joseph's  Cup  is  Found  in  Benjamin's  Sack  —  Joseph  tells 
his  Brothers  who  he  is. 

v  0"W  glad  Joseph  must  have  felt  to 
be  taken  out  of  that  dark,  dismal 
prison!  The  first  thing  he  did, 
when  he  was  made  ruler  of  the  land, 
was  to  order  large  barns  to  be 
built,  and  large  stores  of  corn  to 
be  laid  by,  that  when  the  hour 
of  famine  came,  people  might  have  some- 
thing to  eat.  For  seven  years  the  corn 
went  on  growing,  but  after  that  time  scarcely 
any  corn  grew.  It  was  soon  known  that 
the  ruler  of  the  land  of  Egypt  had  plenty 


14  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

of  corn  in  his  barns,  and  great  numbers  of 
people  came  to  him  to  buy  food  for  themselves 
and  families.  Among  the  rest  came  ten  men 
riding  upon  asses.  Each  of  them  had  an  ass, 
and  on  the  ass  an  empty  sack,  and  in  their 
hands  they  brought  money.  Who  could  these 
ten  men  be  ?  They  were  Joseph's  brothers — 
those  very  brothers  who  had  sold  him  to  the 
merchants  so  many  years  ago  for  twenty 
pieces  of  silver.  When  Joseph  saw  them,  he 
knew  them  directly,  but  they  did  not  know 
him,  for  he  did  not  look  as  he  used  to  do. 
He  was  older,  and  he  was  dressed  in  grand 
clothes,  very  unlike  those  he  used  to  wear 
when  he  was  a  shepherd-boy,  or  even  the 
coat  of  many  colours.  He  was  not  unkind 
to  his  brothers,  as  he  might  have  been.  JSTo ; 
he  liked  better  to  return  good  for  evil.  You 
know  that  Jesus  has  told  us  to  love  our 
enemies,  to  do  good  to  them  that  hate  us,  and 


JOSEPH    SENDS    FOR    BENJAMIN.  15 

to  pray  for  those  who  treat  us  unkindly. 
Joseph  felt  ready  and  willing  to  forgive  his 
brothers  for  all  their  unkindness ;  but  he 
wished  to  see  whether  they  were  sorry  for 
what  they  had  done,  and  whether  they  loved 
their  father  and  their  younger  brother  Benja- 
min. So  he  spoke  roughly  to  them,  and  said, 
"  Where  do  you  come  from  T  Then  they  told 
him  they  were  ten  poor  brothers  come  down 
from  the  land  of  Canaan  to  buy  food.  They 
told  him  also  that  their  father  was  an  old  man, 
and  that  they  had  one  little  brother  left  at 
home.  Joseph,  in  order  to  try  what  they 
would  do,  told  them  to  go  back  and  fetch  this 
little  brother ;  for  they  should  not  have  any 
more  corn,  he  said,  unless  they  brought  Ben- 
jamin with  them.  The  brothers  were  very 
much  grieved  when  they  heard  what  the  ruler 
of  the  land  said,  for  they  knew  their  father 
would  not  like  to  spare  his  dear  child,  and 


16  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

they  knew  also  that  they  must  all  be  starved 
when  the  corn  was  gone,  if  they  could  not 
get  any  more.  With  sorrowful  hearts  they 
set  off  on  their  journey  home ;  for  Joseph 
would  not  allow  Simeon  to  return  with  them. 
He  kept  him  back,  to  see  how  the  brothers 
would  behave. 

When  the  brothers  arrived  at  home  and 
opened  their  sacks,  they  were  much  surprised 
to  find  the  money,  which  they  had  taken  with 
them  to  pay  for  the  corn,  put  into  each  of 
their  sacks;  and  Jacob,  their  father,  was 
greatly  grieved  to  find  that  Simeon  was  left 
behind.  All  these  things  puzzled  them 
much.  At  last,  however,  the  corn  they  had 
brought  back  from  Egypt  was  eaten,  and 
they  were  so  badly  off  for  food  that  they  did 
not  know  what  to  do.  Jacob  wished  his 
sons  to  go  down  into  Egypt  again  without 
taking  their  youngest  brother  with  them ;  but 


JOSEPH  S    JOY    ON    SEEING    BENJAMIN.  17 

they  said  they  were  quite  sure  it  would  be 
of  no  use,  as  the  ruler  of  the  country  had  told 
them  they  should  have  no  more  corn  unless 
they  brought  Benjamin  with  them.  Their 
father  gave  his  consent  at  last,  though  he 
was  greatly  grieved  to  do  so,  and  very  sorry 
to  part  with  his  dear  boy ;  but  he  knew  they 
would  all  be  starved  if  they  could  procure 
no  more  corn.  When  Joseph  saw  his  bro- 
thers coming  back  again,  bringing  little 
Benjamin  with  them,  he  was  so  glad  to  see 
him  once  more,  that  he  could  hardly  help 
crying  for  joy.  Then  he  asked  them  if  their 
father  were  alive  and  well.  They  said, 
"Thy  servant  our  father  is  in  good  health, 
he  is  yet  alive:"  and  they  gave  him  the  pre- 
sent of  nuts  and  almonds,  which  they  had 
picked  from  the  trees  in  Canaan,  and  honey 
that  the  bees  had  made,  and  some  sweet 
smelling  balm  and  myrrh,  and  some  spices 

2 


18  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

which  they  had  brought  with  them.  They 
gave  him  back  also  the  money  which  they 
thought  had  been  put  by  mistake  into  their 
sacks  when  they  went  home  before.  Joseph 
told  his  servants  to  put  some  dinner  ready 
for  the  men ;  and  the  servants  told  them  that 
the  dinner  would  be  ready  at  twelve  o'clock. 
While  they  were  waiting,  the  servants 
brought  them  water  to  wash  their  feet,  and 
gave  them  some  food  for  their  poor  tired 
asses.  Twelve  o'clock  came.  The  men  sat 
down  to  their  dinner.  There  were  three 
tables  in  the  room.  Joseph  sat  at  one 
table.  The  eleven  brothers  sat  at  another, 
and  Joseph's  servants  at  the  third.  The 
brothers  were  very  much  surprised  when 
they  found  they  were  seated  according  to 
their  age,  and  they  wondered  how  Joseph 
could  know  which  was  the  eldest  and  which 
was  the  youngest,  as  they  had  not  told  him. 


THE    CUP    FOUND    IN    BENJAMIN'S    SACK.       19 

Five  times  more  dinner  was  sent  to  Benjamin 
than  to  the  other  brothers.  All  this  seemed 
very  curious ;  still  the  brothers  did  not  find 
out  who  Joseph  was. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  it  was  light, 
they  set  off  on  their  way  home.  Their  asses 
were  laden  with  sacks  full  of  corn.  Simeon 
and  Benjamin  were  with  them,  and  they  felt 
quite  pleased  and  happy.  But,  alas!  their 
joy  did  not  last  long.  Soon  they  heard  some 
one  running  behind  them.  They  looked  back 
and  saw  that  it  was  one  of  Joseph's  servants. 
"Stop,  stop,"  said  he,  "why  have  you  be- 
haved so  badly  to  my  master  ?  Why  have 
you  taken  away  the  silver  cup?"  The  men 
were  quite  surprised,  and  could  not  think 
what  the  servant  meant,  "I  must  look  into 
your  sacks,"  said  he,  "  and  I  must  keep  as  a 
slave  the  man  in  whose  sack  the  silver  cup 
shall  be  found."     So  they  took  all  their  sacks 


20  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

off  their  donkeys  and  opened  every  one  of 
them  in  turn.  Keuben,  the  eldest,  opened 
his  first,  but  no  cup  was  to  be  found.  Then 
the  second  opened  his  sack,  but  there  was 
no  cup  hid  among  the  corn.  Then  the  third 
opened  his,  and  so  on  each  brother  in  his 
turn.  At  last  they  came  to  Benjamin's  sack. 
How  great  must  have  been  their  surprise  and 
dismay  when  they  spied  the  silver  cup !  The 
servant  said,  "You  must  come  to  my  lord. 
You  must  be  a  slave.  You  must  not  go  back 
to  your  father's  house." 

Joseph  had  done  this  to  try  what  the 
brothers  would  do.  He  wished  to  see 
whether  they  were  grown  kinder  in  their 
feelings  towards  their  aged  father  and  their 
little  brother  than  they  used  to  be.  They 
said  directly  that  if  Benjamin  were  to  go 
back,  they  would  go  back  with  him.  They 
would  not  return  home  without  him,  for  it 


1    "V;  '     '       fj^S?1  .     t 


iff fi    V*T*V 


THE  CUP  FOUND  IN  HENJAMIN'S  SACK 


J 


JOSEPH    PROVES    HIS    BRETHREN.  21 

would  break  their  father's  heart  to  lose  his 
clear  Benjamin.  So  Joseph's  servants  let 
them  go  back  to  Egypt. 

Joseph  was  in  the  house  waiting  for  them. 
He  was  very  glad  to  see  them  all  come  back 
with  Benjamin,  and  to  find  they  were  all 
crying  lest  poor  Benjamin  should  be  kept  for 
a  slave,  as  it  shewed  that  they  were  become 
much  kinder  than  they  were  when  they  sold 
him  to  the  merchants  some  years  before. 
When  the  men  saw  Joseph  they  bowed  down 
their  faces  to  the  ground.  Joseph  spoke  to 
them  as  though  he  was  angry,  and  asked 
them  why  they  had  stolen  his  silver  cup  ? 
and  he  said  he  must  keep  Benjamin  for  a 
slave,  because  the  cup  was  found  in  his  sack. 
Judah  knew  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  say 
that  Benjamin  had  not  stolen  the  cup,  but  he 
began  to  beg  Joseph  not  to  keep  his  little 
brother  for  a  slave.     He  said  he  would  rather 


22  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

be  kept  for  a  slave  himself  than  that  Benja- 
min should  be  kept,  because  it  would  be,  he 
said,  such  a  grief  to  his  father  to  lose  his 
favourite  boy.  When  Joseph  heard  Judah 
speak  thus,  he  felt  ready  to  burst  into  tears, 
and  could  no  longer  conceal  his  feelings.  He 
therefore  told  all  the  servants  to  go  out  of 
the  room,  that  he  might  be  left  alone  with 
his  brothers.  His  heart  was  quite  full,  and 
he  could  not  help  crying  aloud,  while  he  said 
to  them,  "I  am  Joseph.  Is  my  father  yet 
alive  ?"  Were  the  brothers  full  of  joy  when 
they  heard  this  ?  No :  they  were  frightened. 
They  could  not  speak  a  word.  They  dared 
not  come  near  him.  Joseph  did  not  wish  to 
alarm  them.  He  longed  to  put  his  arms 
round  their  necks  and  kiss  them.  So  he 
called  them  to  him  one  after  the  other,  be- 
ginning with  Benjamin,  and  kissed  them  and 
spoke    very   kindly    to    them.      Then    the 


RECONCILIATION.  23 

brothers  did  not  feel  afraid  any  longer,  but 
began  to  talk  to  him.  What  a  happy  sight 
it  must  have  been!  How  happy  Joseph 
must  have  felt  to  see  that  his  brothers  were 
sorry  for  their  past  sins,  and  to  think  he 
should  perhaps  see  his  dear  aged  father 
again ! 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Joseph's  Father  comes  down  to  Egtpt  to  see  him  —  Joseph 

GOES  OUT  IN  HIS  CHARIOT  TO  MEET  HIS    FATHER He    PRESENTS 

him  to  the  King. 

JSTD  did  Joseph  really  ever  see  his 
dear  father  again?  You  shall 
hear.  When  he  sent  his  servants 
out  of  the  room,  while  he  made 
himself  known  to  his  brothers,  he  cried  so 
loud  that  the  servants,  who  were  standing 
outside  the  door,  heard  him,  and  soon  they 
knew  that  he  had  found  his  brothers.  Then 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  it, 
and  before  long  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the 
king,  and  the  king  was  glad,  for  he  was  fond 
of  Joseph;  and  he  called  Joseph,  and  said 
to  him,  "Your  brothers  must  come  and  live 
near  you,  and  their  wives  and  their  little 


JOSEPH    SENDS    FOR    HIS    FATHER.  25 

children  must  come,  and  your  father  must 
come,  and  they  shall  have  the  best  food  in 
all  the  land  to  eat,  and  every  thing  they 
want  to  make  them  happy.  Send  wagons 
to  fetch  them.  Give  them  food  to  eat  on  the 
journey,  and  let  them  come  down  to  Egypt." 
Then  Joseph  ordered  the  wagons  to  be  got 
ready,  as  the  king  had  said,  and  he  gave 
them  handsome  presents  to  take  with  them. 
He  gave  them  each  two  suits  of  clothes,  but 
to  Benjamin  he  gave  five  suits,  besides  three 
hundred  pieces  of  silver.  He  also  sent 
a  present  to  his  father, — ten  donkeys 
carrying  all  kinds  of  nice  things,  and  ten 
asses  more  laden  with  corn,  and  bread  and 
meat,  for  his  father  to  eat  on  the  journey. 
When  all  the  things  were  ready,  Joseph  took 
leave  of  his  brothers,  telling  them  to  come 
back  as  soon  as  they  could.  He  told  them 
also  not  to  quarrel  by  the  way.     It  would 


26  THE    HISTORY    OP    JOSEPH. 

have  been  very  sad  and  very  ungrateful  if 
they  had  done  so,  after  all  God's  goodness  to 
them. 

How  surprised  good  old  Jacob  must  have 
been  when  he  saw  his  sons  coming  back 
with  the  wagons  and  the  asses!  Yes;  he 
had  been  watching  for  them ;  and  when  he 
saw  that  they  were  all  safe,  and  that  Benja- 
min was  really  with  them,  he  felt  very  glad. 
Soon  they  told  him  the  joyful  news,  that 
Joseph,  his  dear  Joseph,  his  long-lost  son, 
was  yet  alive,  and  that  he  was  the  great  lord 
who  sold  corn  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  But 
Jacob  could  not  believe  it.  It  was  more 
than  twenty  years  since  his  dear  boy  had 
been  lost;  and  he  thought  what  his  sons 
said  could  not  be  true.  Then  they  told  him 
of  all  that  had  happened  to  them,  and  shewed 
him  the  asses  laden  with  presents,  and  the 
wagons  that  Joseph  had  sent  to  carry  him 


JOSEPH  MEETING  HIS  FATHER. 


JOSEPH    GOES    OUT    IN    UTS    CHARIOT.  27 

and  his  children  and  grandchildren.  When 
good  old  Jacob  saw  the  wagons,  he  did  be- 
lieve, and  he  said,  "It  is  enough.  Joseph 
my  son  is  yet  alive.  I  will  go  and  see  him 
before  I  die."  How  Ml  of  grateful  joy  the 
heart  of  this  good  old  man  must  have  been, 
when  they  set  out  on  their  long  journey ! 
He  rode  in  one  wagon,  and  some  of  the  little 
children  and  their  mothers  rode  in  another, 
and  some  in  another,  and  so  on.  All  the 
wagons  were  filled.  How  delighted  the  little 
children  must  have  been  when  they  set  off 
on  their  journey  to  see  their  grandfather ! 

At  last  they  reached  tfye  land  of  Egypt, 
Long  before  they  got  to  Joseph's  house  they 
saw  a  fine  chariot  coming  towards  them, 
Who  was  in  it?  It  was  Joseph, — Joseph 
coming  to  meet  his  father.  Then  the  wagon 
that  good  old  Jacob  was  in  stood  still. 
Jacob's  hair  had  become  grey,  and  he  was 


28  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

i 

old  and  feeble ;  but  Joseph,  liis  beloved  and 
long-lost  son,  knew  him  again.  He  threw 
his  arms  round  his  neck,  and  wept  for  a  long 
time.  Oh,  what  a  happy  meeting  it  must 
have  been !  Jacob  was  glad,  so  glad  that  he 
said  he  was  now  ready  to  die,  since  he  had 
seen  his  own  dear  son  once  more. 

Almost  the  first  thing  that  Joseph  did 
after  he  had  seen  his  father,  was  to  go  to  the 
king,  and  to  tell  him  that  he  was  come.  He 
took  five  of  his  brothers  with  him.  When 
the  king  saw  them,  he  asked  them  what  their 
employment  was,  and  they  told  him  they 
were  shepherds,  but  that  there  was  no  grass 
in  their  country  for  the  cattle,  for  the  famine 
was  sore  in  the  land.  The  king  very  kindly 
said  he  would  give  them  a  great  many  fields 
in  the  land  of  Goshen,  where  the  pastures 
were  finest,  and  that  they  should  dwell  there 


JACOB    BLESSES    THE    KING.  29 

with  their  flocks,  and  their  wives,  and  their 
children.  Then  Joseph  went  and  fetched  his 
aged  father,  and  brought  him  also  to  the 
king;  and  when  good  old  Jacob  saw  the 
king  of  Egypt,  he  put  his  hands  on  his  head 
and  blessed  him,  because  he  had  been  so 
kind  to  his  dear  son  Joseph.  And  the  king 
said,  "How  old  are  you?"  And  Jacob  told 
the  king  that  he  was  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  old,  and  that  he  had  had  many  troubles 
to  pass  through;  but  that  God  had  been 
very  good  to  him,  and  had  blessed  him,  and 
kept  him  during  his  long  life.  Then  the 
king  told  Joseph  to  let  his  aged  father  live 
in  the  land  of  Goshen,  with  all  his  children 
and  grandchildren  round  him.  And  thus 
they  lived  very  happily  together  till  good  old 
Jacob  died.  And  now  both  Jacob  and 
Joseph  are,  no  doubt,  praising  God  together 


30  THE    HISTORY    OF    JOSEPH. 

in  heaven,  and  thanking  him  for  the  good- 
ness and  mercy  which  followed  them  all  the 
days  of  their  life  whilst  on  earth. 


t\i  Jtarg  of  IJJflses. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Moses  is  put  into  a  Little  Ark  of  Bulrushes  —  The  King's 
Daughter  finds  him  —  Moses  leaves  Pharaoh's  Court  — 
He  becomes  a  Shepherd. 


OU  have  heard  the  history  of 
Joseph : — of  his  being  sold  by  his 
cruel  brothers,  and  sent  away  on 
the  camels,  and  carried  down  into 
Egypt.  Yes.  You  have  heard  of 
his  being  put  into  prison  there,  and  then  of 
his  being  brought  before  the  king,  and  of  the 
king's  kindness  to  him,  when  he  put  a  ring 
on  his  finger  and  a  gold  chain  round  his 
neck,  and  made  him  ruler  over  the  land  of 


32  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

Egypt.  Yes.  You  have  heard  that  there 
was  a  great  famine  in  Canaan,  the  land 
where  Joseph  lived  when  he  was  a  boy,  as 
Avell  as  in  Egypt ;  but  that  God  foretold  him 
that  this  famine  was  coming,  and  that  he 
built  barns  and  storehouses,  and  laid  up  a 
great  deal  of  corn  against  the  time  when  the 
famine  came.  Yes.  You  have  heard  that 
among  the  people  who  came  down  into 
Egypt  to  buy  corn,  Joseph's  brothers  came 
— those  very  brothers  who  had,  many  years 
before,  so  cruelly  sold  him.  Yes.  You  have 
heard  too  that  Joseph  sent  them  back  to 
fetch  their  aged  father,  Jacob,  that  he  might 
live  with  them  in  Egypt ;  and  that  good  old 
Jacob  came,  and  that  they  lived  all  happily 
together  during  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Yes : 
we  have  heard  all  this ;  but  we  should  like 
to  know  what  became  of  Joseph's  children 
after  Joseph,  was  dead.     Was  the  king  who 


THE    ARK    OF    BULRUSHES.  33 

was  so  kind  to  him,  kind  to  his  children 
also? 

The  king  who  had  been  so  kind  to  Joseph 
died,  and  then  another  king  came  in  his 
place;  but  he  was  very  unkind  to  the 
Israelites,  and  he  said  that  all  their  little 
boys  should  be  drowned  in  the  river  Mle. 
The  Mle  is  a  large  wide  river,  which  flows 
through  the  land  of  Egypt.  What  sorrow 
and  trouble  the  poor  people  must  have  been 
in,  when  they  heard  of  the  king's  cruel  order ! 
There  was  one  poor  woman  who  had  a  dear 
little  baby  whom  she  hid  for  about  three 
months.  When  this  poor  woman  found  she 
could  no  longer  hide  her  baby,  she  made  a 
little  cradle  or  ark  of  bulrushes,  and  put  him 
in  it,  and  placed  it  by  the  river-side,  among 
the  tall  long  flag-leaves  that  grew  there. 
She  believed  that  God  would  take  care  of 
her  darling  babe,  and  so  He  did.     This  is 


34:  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES, 

the  picture  of  liim  in  his  little  ark.  The 
water  could  not  get  in,  for  it  was  covered 
with  slime  and  pitch  to  keep  it  out. 

When  the  poor  woman  I  was  telling  you 
about  had  put  her  dear  little  baby  in  the 
ark,  and  hid  it  among  the  tall  leaves  by  the 
river  side,  she  went  away.  As  she  dared 
not  stay  herself,  however,  she  told  her  little 
girl,  Miriam,  to  stand  a  little  way  off  and 
watch  what  became  of  the  baby.  This  little 
girl  was  about  ten  years  old.  No  doubt  she 
dearly  loved  her  baby-brother,  and  perhaps 
she  prayed  to  God  that  he  would  take  care 
of  him.  Brothers  and  sisters  ought  always 
to  pray  for  each  other. 

King  Pharaoh's  daughter  often  came  down 
to  the  river  side  to  wash  herself  in  the  river. 
This  lady  was  called  a  princess,  because  she 
was  the  king's  daughter.  Very  soon  after 
little  Miriam  had  been  placed  to  watch,  the 


51  HI 


9rfT    dv*  slttii  aid  n\  mid  So  e-wioiq 
bvmroo  saw  *i  to!  «J*F  ^3  ion  bluoo  latfiw 

q99vl  ot  dotiq  bits  omif 
sjoy  gftrlisJ  saw  I  nfiffiow  'iooq  oiii  aodll 
sift  fli^dad  erittii  r  '  toad* 

IIb*  9fLt  ^nomr>  fihid  has  jAw 

M&iHed  Hoj 
box  'H( 
sfHil  aidT 
sda  icfuol) 


pwr  ^  box)  ot  dis 

,rCT 


fi    J  o 


vis  Sd^m  m$M®  im 

dLro  dof»o  ' 

.1971 

e  b9lK  >fil  eidT 

ffosd 


('  .•>■*'/*$!  o^T-> 


f  --^i^m^M)  ■%  \**  "s 


sN-O 


IMIARAOI.  S  DAWU1ITKK   AND  TIIB  INKANT  MUSKS. 


THE    ARK    IS    FOUND.  35 

princess  came  down  to  the  river  side.  She 
walked  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  her 
maids  walked  with  her.  Presently  she  spied 
something  among  the  flag-leaves.  It  looked 
like  a  small  cradle  with  a  covering  upon  it. 
The  princess  stood  still,  and  desired  one  of 
her  maids  to  fetch  it.  They  took  off  the 
covering,  and  there  they  saw  the  sweet  babe 
— it  held  out  its  little  hands  and  cried — 
perhaps  it  was  cold — perhaps  it  was  hungry 
— it  wanted  its  own  mamma,  though  it  could 
not  speak  to  say  so.  When  the  princess 
heard  it  cry,  she  was  sorry  for  it,  and  said, 
"  It  must  be  one  of  the  Israelites'  children." 
The  little  girl  Miriam  now  ran  up  to  the 
princess  and  said,  "Shall  I  go  and  call  a 
nurse,  that  she  may  come  and  nurse  the  child 
for  you?"  And  the  princess  said  she  might. 
To  whom  did  the  little  girl  go,  do  you 
think  ?     To  his  own  mamma.     Oh,  yes :  and 


36  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

how  pleased  she  must  have  been  to  run  and 
call  her  mother  to  come  and  nurse  her  own 
dear  baby !  How  thankful  the  poor  mother 
must  have  felt  too,  that  her  dear  little  one 
was  safe — that  it  was  not  carried  away  by 
the  waters  of  the  Nile,  or  eaten  by  the  croco- 
diles that  bask  upon  its  shores. 

Did  the  princess  know  that  little  Miriam 
fetched  the  baby's  own  mother?  I  think 
not ;  for  she  told  her  to  take  the  child  and 
nurse  it  for  her,  and  said  she  would  pay  her 
for  doing  so.  She  meant,  as  soon  as  he  was 
old  enough,  to  bring  him  up  at  the  palace, 
and  adopt  him  as  her  own  son. 

So  Jochebed,  for  that  was  the  woman's 
name,  took  the  dear  little  baby  in  her  arms, 
and  carried  him  home ;  and  often  no  doubt, 
as  she  hushed  him  to  sleep,  or  watched  his 
playful  smiles,  she  thanked  the  great  God 
for  his    goodness   in   preserving    her   dear 


MOSES    IS    TAKEN   TO    THE    PALACE.  37 

child ; — perhaps  too  she  prayed  that  God 
would  make  him  his  own  child  for  ever. 
Pious  parents  pray  for  their  children.  There 
is  nothing  that  they  long  for  half  so  much  as 
for  their  children  to  love  God,  and  to  be 
brought  up  in  his  holy  ways. 

When  the  little  boy  was  three  or  four  years 
old,  his  mother  took  him  to  the  king's  palace 
for  the  princess  to  see  him ;  and  the  princess 
liked  him  very  much,  and  she  called  his 
name  Moses,  because  she  drew  him  out  of 
the  water.  The  word  Moses  means  drawn 
out 

Did  little  Moses  live  at  the  king's  palace  ? 
Yes ;  he  lived  there  until  he  became  a  young 
man,  and  he  did  not  then  forget  his  heavenly 
Father,  who  had  watched  over  and  guarded 
him  from  danger  in  his  little  cradle.  Al- 
though the  princess  herself  was  very  kind 
to  Moses,  it  made  him  sad  to  see  how  cruelly 


38  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

his  brethren,  the  poor  Israelites,  were  treated, 
and  how  hard  they  were  made  to  work  ;  and 
he  often  wished  they  could  go  back  to  Ca- 
naan, their  own  happy  country.  The  people 
of  Egypt  knew  nothing  of  the  true  God,  but 
worshipped  idols  that  could  do  them  no 
good.  The  people  of  Canaan  were  followers 
of  the  true  God. 

Now,  one  day  as  Moses  went  out  to  see 
his  brethren  at  their  hard  work,  he  saw  an 
Egyptian  smiting  one  of  his  brethren.  This 
made  Moses  very  angry ;  so  he  looked  to  see 
if  any  one  else  was  near,  and  not  seeing  any 
body,  he  slew  the  Egyptian,  and  hid  the 
body  in  the  sand.  The  next  day,  whilst 
Moses  was  out,  he  saw  two  of  his  brethren 
quarrelling.  This  made  him  very  sorry,  and 
he  spoke  to  the  one  that  was  in  the  wrong. 
This  man  did  not  like  Moses  to  correct  him, 
and  he  asked  him  who  made  him  a  ruler 


MOSES  FLEES    FROM    THE    COURT.  39 

over  them,  and  if  he  wanted  to  kill  him  as 
he  did  the  Egyptian  ?  Moses  did  not  think 
that  any  one  knew  about  this,  so  it  made 
him  afraid,  for  he  knew  that  when  the 
wicked  king  heard  of  it  that  he  would  slay 
him ;  so  he  resolved  to  go  away  and  leave  all 
the  grandeur  and  riches  of  the  king's  court. 
One  day,  soon  after  Moses  had  left  king 
Pharaoh's  palace,  he  sat  down  by  the  side 
of  a  well ;  and  while  he  was  sitting  there, 
seven  young  girls  came  down  to  the  well  to 
draw  water  to  water  their  father's  flocks ;  for 
in  that  country  it  was  a  common  practice  for 
women  to  do  such  things.  Stone  troughs 
were  placed  round  the  well  for  the  cattle  to 
drink  out  of.  Just  as  the  girls  had  filled  the 
troughs  with  water,  some  rude  shepherds 
came  down  and  drove  them  away.  I  sup- 
pose they  wished  their  own  sheep  to  drink 
the  water,  for  in  that  hot  and  sandy  country 


40  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

k 

water  is  scarce.  When  Moses  saw  the  shep- 
herds so  unkind  to  the  young  girls,  he  got 
up  and  drew  some  more  water  for  their  flocks. 
They  were  very  thankful  to  him  for  his  kind- 
ness ;  and  when  they  returned  to  their  father, 
he  asked  them  how  it  was  they  were  come 
home  so  soon.  Then  the  girls  said  that  a 
man,  whom  they  found  sitting  by  the  side 
of  the  well,  had  sent  the  rude  shepherds 
away,  and  had  drawn  water  and  watered 
their  sheep  for  them.  When  their  father 
heard  this  he  was  pleased,  and  said,  "  Where 
is  the  man  ?  Why  have  you  left  him  ?  Go 
and  find  him,  and  ask  him  to  come  to  my 
house,  and  dine  with  me  to-day."  Then  the 
girls  went  back  and  found  Moses,  and  he 
came  home  and  lived  many  years  with  their 
father;  and  at  last  Zipporah,  one  of  the 
seven  girls,  became  his  wife. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Moses  sent  to    tell   the   King   to  let  the  Israelites  go — 
King  Pharaoh  is  drowned  in  the  Eed  Sea. 

T  must  have  been  a  great  change  for 
Moses,  after  he  had  lived  so  many 
years  at  the  king's  palace,  to  wander 
as  a  shepherd  among  the  mountains  taking 
care  of  sheep ;  but  he  was  very  happy  in 
this  employ,  and  year  after  year  passed 
away.  At  last  the  king  of  Egypt  died,  but 
another  king,  quite  as  wicked,  rose  in  his 
place,  and  the  poor  Israelites  were  treated 
as  cruelly  as  ever.  Some  among  them  prayed 
to  God  that  he  would  let  them  go  back  to 
their  own  country,  and  not  let  the  cruel  king 
treat  them  so  unkindly  any  longer.  God  al- 
ways hears  the  prayers  of  his  people,  and  he 
heard  the  prayers  of  these  poor  Israelites, 


42  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES, 

and   answered   them  in   a   very   wonderful 
manner.     I  will  tell  you  how  it  was. 

One  day  as  Moses,  now  an  aged  shepherd, 
was  taking  care  of  his  flock  in  the  lonely 
valleys  of  Horeb,  he  saw  a  bush  on  fire,  but 
the  blaze  did  not  pass  away,  and  the  bush 
was  not  burnt.  This  surprised  him.  He 
went  towards  it,  and  soon  he  heard  a  voice 
speaking  to  him  from  the  midst  of  the  bush. 
It  was  the  voice  of  God.  God  told  him  that 
he  must  go  to  king  Pharaoh  and  ask  him  to 
let  the  people  of  Israel  go  back  to  their  own 
country,  and  that  he  must  be  their  guide  or 
leader,  and  go  before  them,  and  shew  them 
the  road  to  take,  for  there  was  a  very  large 
wilderness  or  desert  to  be  passed  through. 
But  how  did  Moses  know  the  way?  God 
said  that  he  would  direct  him  and  shew  him 
the  way.  Moses  felt  very  much  afraid  of 
speaking  to  the  king,  for  the  Israelites  were 


Jri^ffqeifa  J  w  won  0 

■ 

■ 
■ 


m 


\tmm 


MOSES  IN  THE  PRESENCE  OF  PHARAOH. 


GOD    PUNISHES    THE    EGYPTIANS.  4:3 

his  slaves,  and  worked  very  hard  for  him, 
and  most  likely  he  would  not  choose  to  part 
with  them. 

At  length,  however,  Moses  took  courage 
and  went  up  to  king  Pharaoh,  and  told  him 
what  God  had  said.  The  wicked  king  did 
not  care  for  the  great  and  good  God;  nor 
would  he  listen  to  the  words  of  Moses.  He 
only  answered  in  a  very  rude  manner  that  he 
did  not  care  for  what  Moses  said,  and  that 
the  Israelites  should  not  go — indeed,  he  was 
so  angry  about  it,  that  he  ordered  the  task- 
masters to  make  them  work  harder  than 
ever. 

Many,  many  times  did  Moses  go  up  to  king 
Pharaoh,  as  God  desired  him,  to  beg  him  to 
let  the  Israelites  go  back  to  their  own  coun- 
try. But  no !  He  always  declared  they 
should  not  go.  God  therefore  sent  many 
judgments,  or  plagues;  to  punish  him  for  his 


44  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

wickedness.  But  his  heart  was  very  hard, 
and  it  seemed  as  though  nothing  would  move 
him.  At  length,  God  sent  a  plague  greater 
than  all  the  rest.  One  night  the  eldest  child 
of  every  family  throughout  the  land  of  Egypt 
suddenly  died.  The  king  was  frightened 
now,  and  he  got  up  in  a  great  hurry  and 
called  for  Moses,  and  told  him  the  people 
might  go,  and  go  directly.  This  was  a  sad 
night  for  the  people  of  Egypt,  but  a  joyful 
one  for  the  Israelites.  They  collected  to- 
gether as  fast  as  they  could,  and  set  off,  even 
before  the  morning  sun  shone  on  them. 
What  an  immense  multitude!  Thousands 
and  thousands  of  people,  men,  women,  and 
children — more  people  than  you  have  ever 
seen  together  in  your  life.  They  did  not 
even  stop  to  make  bread  for  the  next  day, 
but  tied  up  the  dough  before  it  was  baked, 
and  carried  it  on  their  shoulders,  as  well  as 


PASSAGE    OF    THE    RED    SEA.  45 

whatever  else  they  could  collect.  How  did 
Moses  find  the  way  ?  God  made  a  pillar  of 
a  cloud  go  before  them  by  day7  and  a  pillar 
of  fire  by  night.  When  the  pillar  moved  on, 
the  people  moved  on ;  and  when  the  pillar 
stood  still,  the  people  rested. 

Thus  they  proceeded  for  several  days.  At 
length  they  came  to  the  sea-shore ;  and  then 
to  their  great  terror  they  found  that  king 
Pharaoh  and  his  soldiers  were  in  full  march 
after  them.  What  could  the  poor  Israelites 
do  ?  There  were  mountains  on  this  side  and 
mountains  on  that  side.  They  dared  not 
turn  back  again,  and  they  had  neither  boats 
nor  ships  to  carry  them  across.  Now,  dear 
children,  only  think  of  the  wonderful  good- 
ness of  God !  He  made  a  dry  path  for  his 
people  across  the  great  sea.  At  his  word 
the  waters  divided,  and  formed,  as  it  were, 
a  high  wall  on  each  side,  so  that  the  Israel- 


4G  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

ites  walked  through  the  sea  just  as  though 
they  had  been  walking  on  dry  ground.  How 
happy  they  must  have  felt  when  they  got  to 
the  other  side !  There  they  were  safe  for 
ever,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  wicked  king. 

But  what  became  of  King  Pharaoh  ?  You 
shall  hear.  No  sooner  did  he  see  what  God 
had  done  for  the  Israelites,  than  he  thought 
that  he  and  his  soldiers  might  also  cross  the 
Red  Sea.  They  began  to  do  so — horses  and 
horsemen — chariots  and  people,  with  King 
Pharaoh  at  their  head.  And  what  happen- 
ed? God  spoke  the  word,  and  at  his  com- 
mand the  mighty  waters  rushed  down  upon 
them,  just  as  they  had  reached  the  middle  of 
the  sea,  and  thus  that  cruel  king  and  all  his 
host  were  overthrown  and  drowned,  and 
punished  for  their  wickedness. 

How  glad  the  people  of  Israel  must  have 
been  when  they  got  to  the  other  side  of  the 


MIRIAM  S    SONG    OF    PRATSE. 


47 


sea,  quite  out  of  King  Pharaoh's  reach! 
Yes :  they  were  indeed  glad.  Miriam,  the 
sister  of  Moses,  took  a  musical  instrument, 
called  a  timbrel,  in  her  hand,  and  sang 
praises  to  God  for  his  goodness ;  and  a  great 
many  people  joined  her  in  singing  this  song 
of  praise. 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Israelites  travel  in  the  Wilderness — They  are  fed  by 
God  with  Manna — God  gives  them  Water  from  a  Dry 
Rock. 

FTER  they  had  crossed  the  Red  Sea 
^in  the  wonderful  manner  of  which  I 
have  just  told  you,  the  Israelites 
wandered  for  a  long  time  through 
the  wilderness.  A  wilderness  is  like  a  very 
large,  wild-looking  plain,  where  there  are 
neither  trees  nor  houses.  At  length  all  the 
food  they  had  brought  with  them  from  Egypt 
was  gone,  and  they  began  to  get  very  hun- 
gry. What  could  they  do  ?  There  were  no 
barns  full  of  corn  in  the  desert;  no  shops 
where  they  could  buy  bread.  They  began  to 
be  impatient,  and  to  find  fault  with  Moses ; 
and  they  even  went  so  far  as  to  tell  him  that 
they  wished  he  had  left  them  in  Egypt,  in- 


GOD    PROVIDES    FOOD.  49 

stead  of  bringing  them  up  into  the  wilder- 
ness to  die  of  hunger.  This  was  very  un- 
grateful of  the  people  after  all  the  kindness 
they  had  received  from  him.  But  God  was 
so  good  to  them  in  the  midst  of  their  dis- 
tress, that  he  told  Moses  he  would  rain  bread 
from  heaven  for  them  to  eat,  and  give  them 
quails  for  food. 

There  were,  as  I  said,  no  houses  or  inns  in 
the  wilderness;  but  when  the  people  had 
gone  as  far  as  they  could  for  the  day,  they 
put  up  tents  to  sleep  and  rest  in  at  night. 
The  tents  were  made  of  poles,  with  curtains 
thrown  over  them,  and  a  number  of  these 
tents  together  were  called  a  camp.  When 
evening  came,  and  while  the  Israelites  were 
resting  in  their  camp,  great  numbers  of 
small  brown  birds  called  quails  flew  round 
about  the  camp  so  as  quite  to  cover  it,  and 
so  tame  as  to  be  easily  caught ;  and  in  the 


50  THE    HISTORY    OP    HOSES. 

morning  the  Israelites  found  the  ground  over- 
laid with  manna.  This  manna  looked  like 
hoar  frost  which  you  see  upon  the  ground  on 
a  winter  morning.  The  Israelites  were 
quite  puzzled  to  think  what  it  could  be,  for 
it  tasted  sweet  like  flour  and  honey.  Then 
Moses  said,  "  This  is  the  bread  which  the 
Lord  hath  given  you  to  eat:"  and  he  bid 
them  gather  it  up  and  take  it  to  their  tents, 
for  God  had  sent  it  for  their  food.  How  glad 
they  must  have  been  to  hear  this!  Men, 
women,  and  children  went  out  directly,  and 
began  to  collect  it.  Moses  told  them  not  to 
lay  any  by ;  for  God  would  send  more  as  soon 
as  it  was  needed.  Six  days  they  were  to 
gather  it ;  and  then,  when  Saturday  came,  they 
were  to  pick  up  enough  to  last  over  Sunday, 
because  Sunday  is  God's  day,  and  we  must 
not  then  do  any  work  that  we  can  help.  God 
always  sent  a  double  supply  of  manna  on  the 


THE    ISRAELITES    MURMUR    AT    MOSES.  51 

sixth  day,  that  the  people  might  rest  on  the 
seventh,  and  keep  that  day  holy  to  the  Lord. 

When  God  sent  the  quails  and  the  manna, 
the  people  of  Israel  had  plenty  of  food  to 
eat:  not  for  a  day,  or  a  week,  or  a  month 
only,  but  during  the  whole  time  of  their  jour- 
ney through  the  wilderness ;  for  there  was; 
as  I  told  you,  a  fresh  supply  of  manna  ready 
for  them  every  morning. 

They  had  manna  to  eat ;  but  had  they  any 
thing  to  drink  ?  "Were  there  any  springs  of 
sweet  fresh  water  in  the  desert  ?  No :  there 
were  very  few  springs  there  ;  and  again  they 
murmured  at  Moses,  and  were  almost  ready 
to  stone  him  for  having  brought  them  up  out 
of  Egypt.  Moses  again  prayed  to  God,  and 
God  heard  his  prayer.  He  told  him  to  go  to 
a  hilly  part  of  the  country,  called  Horeb,  and 
to  strike  a  rock  there,  for,  when  he  did  so, 
water  would  flow  out. 


52  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

Did  Moses  mind  what  God  said  to  him  ? 
Yes :  he  went  forward  before  the  people,  and 
struck  the  rock  with  a  rod  or  stick  which  he 
held  in  his  hand.  In  a  moment  a  stream  of 
water  gushed  from  the  hard  rock — nice,  cool 
water.  Oh,  what  a  joy  to  the  poor  thirsty 
Israelites !  How  ought  they  to  have  praised 
God  for  so  great  a  blessing !  When  you  have 
been  running  and  playing,  and  are  tired  and 
thirsty,  how  glad  you  are  of  a  draught  of 
fresh  water !  What,  then,  must  it  have  been 
to  these  poor  people  after  their  long  wander- 
ings in  the  dry,  sandy  desert ! 


;      ^ 


MOSES  STRIKING  THE  ROCK 


■ 

a  arao 
•    ;o  Hpa> 

i 

i 

■ 

# 


CHAPTER    IV. 

God  gives  Moses  the  Commandments — He  goes  up  to  Mount 
Sinai — He  makes  a  Tabernacle  to  worship  God  in — The 
Israelites  set  up  a  Golden  Calf. 

HEN  the  Israelites  had  wandered 
about  for  some  months,  they  came 
to  a  part  of  the  wilderness  where 
there  were  a  great  many  moun- 
tains. Some  of  these  mountains 
were  very  high,  so  high  that  their  tops 
seemed  to  touch  the  sky  and  were  almost 
lost  in  the  clouds.  One  of  them  was  higher 
than  all  the  rest.  It  was  called  Mount  Sinai. 
A  very  wonderful  event  came  to  pass  on 
Mount  Sinai,  which  I  will  tell  you  about. 
When  the  Israelites  had  set  up  their  tents 
and  formed  their  camp  at  the  foot  of  this 
mountain,  God  called  Moses,  and  told  him  to 


54:  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES, 

come  up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  that  he 
might  speak  with  him.  What  a  great  honour 
put  upon  Moses ;  thus  to  be  called  up  the 
mountain  for  God  to  speak  to  him  as  a  friend 
speaks  to  a  friend ! 

None  of  the  people  went  up  with  him. 
They  stopped  at  the  bottom.  They  were 
told  not  even  to  touch  the  mountain,  but  to 
listen  to  all  the  words  that  God  should  speak, 
for  on  the  third  day  God  would  speak  so 
loud  that  all  the  people  might  hear. 

What  a  solemn  time  it  must  have  been! 
When  the  third  day  came,  there  were  thun- 
ders and  lightnings,  and  a  thick  cloud  upon 
the  mountain,  and  the  voice  of  a  trumpet  so 
loud  that  all  the  people  in  the  camp  trem- 
bled when  they  heard  its  sound.  Six  hun- 
dred thousand  people  were  standing  round 
about  the  mountain  at  the  time  these  events 
took  place,  and  though  there  was  so  great  a 


THE    TEN    COMMANDMENTS.  55 


multitude,  they  all  heard  every  word  that 
was  spoken  when  the  trumpet  sounded. 
These  words  were  the  Ten  Commandments. 
Those  Commandments  that  we  hear  read  in 
church  every  Sunday  morning,  and  which 
are  meant  for  us  as  much  as  they  were  for 
the  Israelites. 

After  the  Ten  Commandments  had  been 
read  to  the  people  from  Mount  Sinai,  God 
gave  them  to  Moses  written  on  tables  of 
stone. 

One  of  the  Ten  Commandments  is,  "Re- 
member the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy ;" 
but  there  were  no  churches  in  the  wilderness 
where  the  people  could  worship  God  when 
Sunday  came.  God  therefore  told  Moses  he 
wished  him  to  make  a  large  tent  or  taberna- 
cle, which  could  be  moved  from  place  to 
place,  and  where  the  people  might  meet  to 
pray  to  Him,  and  to  sing  praises  to  his  holy 


56  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

name.  The  two  stones  or  tables  on  which 
the  commandments  were  written  were  also 
to  be  kept  in  this  tabernacle. 

The  tabernacle  was  quite  different  from 
any  thing  the  Israelites  had  ever  seen  before. 
It  did  not  look  like  a  common  tent.  It  was 
covered  over  with  planks  and  curtains.  The 
inner  curtains  were  made  of  fine  linen  of 
beautiful  colours,  purple,  blue,  and  scarlet; 
then  curtains  of  goats'  hair,  and,  lastly, 
sheep-skins  dyed  red  and  blue.  Each  side 
of  the  tabernacle  was  formed  of  upright 
boards  covered  with  gold,  and  the  boards 
had  golden  rods  passed  along  them  to  fasten 
them  together.  There  were  eight  pillars  at 
one  end,  and  beautiful  crimson  curtains 
were  thrown  over  them.  The  inside  was  di- 
vided into  two  rooms.  The  inner  room  was 
called  the  holy  of  holies,  and  the  outer  room 
was  called  the  holy  place.      The  tables  of 


THE    ISRAELITES    MAKE    FALSE    GODS.  57 

stone,  on  which  God  had  written  the  ten 
commandments  with  his  own  ringer,  were 
placed  in  a  chest  or  box,  covered  with  gold, 
and  called  the  ark.  The  ark  was  kept  in 
the  little  room  called  the  holy  of  holies.  The 
tabernacle  was  a  beautiful  and  glorious  place, 
and  there  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel 
used  to  worship  God. 

Did  all  the  Israelites  keep  the  command- 
ments which  God  gave  them  on  Mount  Sinai  ? 

I  am  sorry  to  say  they  did  not.  Even  be- 
fore Moses  came  down  from  the  mountain 
they  broke  one  of  them.  The  people  had 
become  so  tired  of  waiting  for  him,  and 
thought  him  gone  so  long,  that  they  begged 
Aaron,  his  brother,  to  make  some  gods  to  go 
before  them  and  lead  them  to  the  beautiful 
land  whither  Moses  had  promised  to  take 
them.  Would  Aaron  do  such  a  wicked  thing  ? 
I   am   sorry  to   say  he  did.     He   told  the 


58  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

people  to  bring  all  their  gold  ear-rings  to 
him,  the  ear-rings  which  the  women  of  Egypt 
had  given  them  before  they  set  out  on  their 
journey.  Then  he  melted  all  the  ear-rings 
in  the  fire;  and,  when  the  gold  was  soft, 
Aaron  made  it  up  into  the  shape  of  a  calf, 
and  told  the  people  of  Israel  they  might  pray 
to  this  golden  calf. 

How  great  was  the  grief  of  Moses  when 
he  came  down  from  the  mount  and  heard 
music  and  singing,  and  found  that  all  the 
people  were  making  a  great  feast,  and  wor- 
shipping a  golden  calf !  He  had  in  his  hands 
the  two  tables  of  stone  upon  which  the  ten 
commandments  were  written ;  but  so  great 
was  his  sorrow  and  distress  to  see  what  the 
people  were  doing,  that  he  threw  the  stones 
down  upon  the  ground  and  broke  them  to 
pieces.  Then  he  took  the  golden  calf  which 
Aaron  had  made,  and  threw  it  into  the  fire. 


MOSES  BREAKS  THE  GOLDEN  CALF.     59 

When  it  was  soft,  he  ground  it  to  powder  and 
strewed  it  upon  the  water,  and  made  the 
children  of  Israel  drink  this  bitter  water. 
Then  Moses  prayed  to  God  that  he  would 
forgive  them  their  great  wickedness  in  hav- 
ing made  to  themselves  gods  of  gold  which 
could  do  them  no  good. 

Do  little  children  ever  break  God's  com- 
mandments, do  you  think?  Yes:  I  fear 
they  do.  They  may  not  make  to  themselves 
golden  calves  as  the  Israelites  did,  but  when 
they  go  to  God's  house  of  prayer,  if  they  are 
thinking  of  their  dolls,  and  their  playthings, 
and  their  amusements,  instead  of  trying  to 
love  him,  and  to  pray  to  him,  is  it  not  break- 
ing the  commandment  which  says,  "Thou 
shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me  ?" 

If  little  children  pay  no  attention  to  what 
their  papa  and  mamma  say  to  them,  or  do 
those  things  which  they  have  told  them  not 


60  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

to  do,  is  it  not  breaking  the  commandment 
which  says,  "Honour  thy  father  and  thy 
mother  ?" 

If  little  children  play  on  Sunday  as  they 
do  on  other  days,  and  forget  that  it  is  God's 
holy  day,  is  it  not  breaking  the  command- 
ment which  tells  us  to  "  remember  to  keep 
holy  the  Sabbath  day  ?" 

If  little  children  tell  tales  of  their  brothers 
and  sisters,  particularly  if  they  tell  any  that 
are  not  altogether  and  perfectly  true,  is  it 
not  breaking  the  commandment  which  tells 
us  "not  to  bear  false  witness  against  our 
neighbour  ?" 

If  little  children  long  to  have  things  which 
their  playfellows  possess,  and  to  keep  them 
for  their  own,  is  it  not  breaking  the  com- 
mandment which  says,  "Thou  shalt  not 
covet?" 

Now  if  we  think  over  these  things,  dear 


THE    COMMANDMENTS    ARE    FOR    ALL.  61 

children,  we  shall  see  that  we  often  break 
the  spirit  of  God's  commands,  as  much  as 
the  Israelites  did  when  they  worshipped  their 
golden  calf.  The  ten  commandments  are 
intended  for  us,  equally  with  them.  When 
we  pray,  therefore,  let  us  say,  "  Make  me  to 
go  in  the  path  of  thy  commandments:  for 
therein  do  I  delight." 


CHAPTER    Y. 

The  Spies   bring   Grapes    from   Canaan — God    sends   Fiery 
Serpents  to  punish  the  Children  of  Israel. 

OOK  at  these  two  men  carrying  a 
large  bunch  of  grapes  between 
>thern.  Yines  could  not  grow  in 
the  wilderness.  Where  can  the 
two  men  have  been  to  find  them  ? 
It  is  quite  true  that  the  Israelites  found 
no  vines  in  the  wilderness,  but  after  wander- 
ing about  for  many  years  they  arrived  just 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  promised  land.  Moses 
then  sent  twelve  men  to  look  at  the  country, 
and  to  bring  word  to  the  rest  what  they 
found  there.  They  had  been  told  that  Ca- 
naan was  a  good  land — a  land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey — and  this  was  quite  true; 
for  when  the  twelve  men,  oiw  spies  as  they 


THE    SPIES    RETURN    WITH    FRUIT.  63 

were  called,  entered  it,  they  found  it  full  of 
trees  bearing  the  finest  fruit,  corn-fields  full 
of  corn,  and  meadows  of  green  grass  and 
beautiful  flowers.  They  thought  the  best 
way  of  proving  to  the  Israelites,  whom  they 
had  left  in  the  wilderness,  what  a  beauti- 
ful land  it  was,  would  be  to  carry  back  some 
of  the  fruit  with  them.  They  found  one 
bunch  of  grapes  so  large,  so  very  large,  that 
one  man  could  not  carry  it  by  himself,  so 
they  took  a  strong  stick  and  fastened  the 
bunch  of  grapes  to  it,  and  one  man  held  one 
end  of  the  stick  across  his  shoulder,  and  the 
other  man  held  the  other  end,  and  then  they 
carried  it  back  with  them,  as  well  as  a  great 
many  figs  and  other  fruits,  to  the  tents  of 
the  Israelites.  "Were  not  the  Israelites  very 
glad  to  see  the  grapes  and  the  fruit,  as  they 
had  had  only  quails  and  manna  for  so  many 
years  ?   I  am  sorry  to  say  they  were  ungrate- 


64  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

M  people,  and  instead  of  being  pleased, 
they  behaved  so  badly  that  at  last  God  told 
them  that  their  children  should  go  into  the 
beautiful  land  of  Canaan,  but  that  instead 
of  going  into  it  themselves,  they  should  stay 
and  die  in  the  wilderness. 

Did  the  Israelites  behave  any  better  when 
they  found  God  was  so  much  displeased  with 
them  ?  I  am  sorry  to  say  they  did  not.  They 
still  murmured  and  complained,  and  were 
ungrateful  to  Moses,  and,  what  was  worse 
still,  to  the  great  and  good  God  who  had 
done  so  much  for  them. 

At  last  God  sent  a  more  dreadful  punish- 
ment upon  the  people  than  he  had  ever  sent 
before.  He  sent  fiery  serpents  among  them. 
These  serpents  came  into  their  tents  and 
twined  round  their  arms  and  legs,  and  bit 
them,  so  that  many  of  them  died.  The 
people  now  felt  that  fliey  had  sinned ;  and 


w\  ha 

■ 

:J  J>K1 

\ 
mifilqfdoo 

wtl  -rot  ffoiim  • 
tfi«M 


„vT>  '     ^~ :r- 


■ 

■      \ 


THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT. 


THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT  SET  UP.       65 

again  they  came  to  Moses  and  begged  him 
to  pray  for  them.  He  did  so.  Did  God  hear 
his  prayer  ?  Yes :  God  always  hears  the 
prayers  of  his  servants.  He  desired  Moses 
to  make  a  large  serpent  of  brass,  and  to  put 
it  upon  a  high  pole  in  a  wide  open  part  of 
the  wilderness,  where  all  the  people  could 
see  it,  and  to  tell  the  Israelites  that  all  who 
looked  at  this  serpent  of  brass  should  be 
made  well.  Did  Moses  do  this  ?  Yes.  He 
loved  God,  and  he  always  did  directly  what 
God  told  him  to  do.  As  soon  as  he  had 
made  the  serpent  of  brass,  he  placed  it  upon  a 
high  pole,  where  every  one  could  see  it ;  and 
then  he  called  to  the  sick  people,  and  told 
them  to  look  at  it  and  be  made  well.  How 
wonderful !  They  had  only  to  lift  up  their 
eyes  towards  the  brazen  serpent,  and  directly 
they  looked  their  pains  went  away ;  they  felt 
strong  and  well  again,  and  able  to  thank  and 

5 


66  THE    HISTORY    OF    MOSES. 

praise  God  for  his  mercy.  "Well,  dear 
children,  so  it  is  with  us.  We  have  all 
sinned.  Satan,  who  is  sometimes  called  the 
"  old  serpent,"  has  got  into  our  hearts  and 
made  us  sin.  No  child  has  ever  lived  but 
has  sinned.  But  as  Moses  lifted  up  the 
serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so  Jesus  Christ 
has  been  lifted  up  upon  the  cross,  that  those 
who  look  to  him  may  not  perish,  but  have 
eternal  life.  Let  us,  dear  children,  look  to 
Jesus.  Let  us  thank  God  that  He  has  given 
his  only  Son  to  die  upon  the  cross  for  our 
sins.  We  have  a  better  country  before  us 
than  the  Israelites  had.  They  were  going 
towards  an  earthly  Canaan,  a  beautiful  land, 
it  is  true ;  but  we  are  going  to  the  heavenly 
Canaan,  a  country  far  more  beautiful ;  for 
there,  "  angels  with  their  golden  harps  sing 
praises  to  God ;"  there,  holy  people  go  when 
they  die ;  there  Jesus,  our  •Hear  kind  Saviour 


THE    JOYS    OF    HEAVEN. 


67 


lives ;  and  there  we  shall  be  clothed  with 
white  robes,  and  have  palms  in  our  hands, 
and  crowns  of  glory  on  our  heads,  and  see 
Jesus  face  to  face,  and  dwell  with  him  for 
ever,  if  we  truly  love  and  serve  him  while 
here  on  earth. 


C|f  Jistorj)  of  (finr  Jlalrarar. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Jesus  in  the  Manger — The  Shepherds  Visit  Jesus — The  Wise 
Men  Visit  Him — Jesus  is  taken  down  into  Egypt. 

ESFS  CHKIST,  our  blessed  Saviour, 
was  born  at  a  little  village  called 
Bethlehem.  His  mother's  name  was 
Mary.  When  Jesus  was  born,  Mary 
and  Joseph,  her  husband,  were  taking  a  long 
journey :  they  were  going  from  their  own 
house  to  the  little  village  of  Bethlehem,  to 
pay  money  to  the  king.  This  was  called 
going  to  pay  tax-money.  Money  paid  to  the 
king  or  queen  is  called  tax-money.  Bethle- 
hem was  a  great  way  from*  their  own  home, 


THE    BIRTH    OF    JESUS.  69 

and  it  took  them  many  days  to  get  there. 
At  last,  however,  they  reached  the  place. 
Mght  was  coming  on,  so  they  went  to  the 
inn,  and  asked  the  people  to  let  them  have 
a  room  to  sleep  in,  for  they  were  tired  with 
their  long  journey,  and  wanted  to  rest  them- 
selves. But  the  master  of  the  inn  said  that 
his  house  was  quite  full,  and  that  there  was 
no  room  for  them.  What  could  poor  Mary 
do  ?  Did  she  sleep  out  of  doors  ?  ISTo  :  she 
said  she  would  sleep  in  the  stable  if  the 
master  would  let  her.  The  master  said  she 
might  if  she  pleased.  So  Mary  went  down 
to  the  stable  to  rest  herself  among  the  cows 
and  asses;  and  while  she  was  there,  Jesus 
Christ  was  born.  God  had  sent  an  angel 
some  time  before,  to  tell  Mary  that  she 
should  have  a  son,  and  that  he  should  be 
called  Jesus,  for  he  should  save  people  from 
their  sins.     Now  Mary  knew  this  was  the 


70  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

baby  God  had  promised.  How  happy  she 
felt  when  she  saw  him  smile ! 

There  was  no  soft  cradle  for  him  to  sleep 
in,  so  she  wrapped  him  in  clothes  called 
swaddling-clothes,  and  hushed  him  to  sleep, 
and  laid  him  amongst  the  hay  which  was 
put  for  the  cows  and  asses  in  a  manger  in 
the  stable.  Then  she  sat  down  by  the  side 
of  the  manger  to  take  care  of  her  dear 
baby,  and  she  thought  how  good  and  kind 
God  had  been  in  sending  her  so  sweet  a  gift. 

Bethlehem,  where  Jesus  was  born,  was  a 
little  village.  There  were  green  fields  all 
round  it,  and  mountains  upon  which  large 
flocks  of  sheep  used  to  feed.  There  were 
many  shepherds  taking  care  of  the  flocks  of 
sheep  near  Bethlehem.  Men  who  take  care 
of  sheep  are  called  shepherds.  These  shep- 
herds used  to  sit  up  at  night  to  watch  their 
sheep ;  for  in  that  country  there  were  wolves 


JESUS    IN    THE    MANGER.  71 

and  hyenas,  and  perhaps  these  wolves  and 
hyenas  and  other  wild  beasts  might  have 
come  in  the  night  to  kill  the  sheep  if  the 
shepherds  had  not  kept  guard.  There  are 
no  fierce  wolves  or  hyenas  in  the  country 
where  we  live. 

As  the  shepherds  were  watching  their 
flocks  one  night,  they  saw  a  bright  light  in 
the  sky,  and  soon  a  beautiful  angel  came 
from  heaven.  At  first  the  shepherds  were 
afraid  ;  but  the  angel  told  them  not  to  fear, 
for  he  had  good  news  to  tell  them, — news 
that  would  fill  their  hearts  with  joy  and  glad- 
ness. What  news  do  you  think  the  angel 
brought  ?  He  told  the  shepherds  that  Jesus 
Christ,  the  only  Son  of  God,  was  born  in  the 
little  village  of  Bethlehem,  and  that  if  they 
went  to  the  inn  they  would  find  the  babe 
wrapped  in  swaddling-clothes  and  lying  in 
a  manger.     While  the  angel  was  speaking 


72  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

to  the  shepherds,  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
bright  angels  filled  the  sky,  and  began  sing- 
ing songs  of  praise  to  God.  These  are  the 
words  they  sang :  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 
est, and  on  earth  peace,  good-will  toward 
men." 

As  soon  as  the  angels  had  sung  this  song 
of  joy  they  went  back  to  heaven,  and  the 
shepherds  were  left  alone  in  the  fields.  Then 
they  said  to  each  other,  "  Let  us  go  to  Beth- 
lehem, and  see  the  little  baby  of  whom  the 
angels  have  told  us."  So  they  got  up  at 
once  and  left  their  flocks,  and  went  as  fast 
as  they  could  to  the  inn  at  Bethlehem.  There 
they  found  Jesus  lying  in  the  manger  among 
the  hay.  When  the  shepherds  saw  the  sweet 
infant,  they  told  Mary  and  Joseph,  who  were 
sitting  by  him,  what  the  angels  had  said  to 
them ;  and  then  they  went  back  to  their 
flocks,  singing  and  praising  God  for  all  the 
things  that  they  had  heard  and  seen. 


*«*u»i§ 


JESUS  IX  THE  MANGER. 


THE    WISE    MEN    OF    THE    EAST.  73 

At  the  time  that  Jesus  Christ  was  born, 
some  wise  men,  who  lived  in  a  country  a 
long  way  off,  saw  a  very  bright  star  shining 
up  in  the  sky,  and  they  knew  by  this  star 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  born.  They  wished 
very  much  to  go  and  see  the  dear  babe ;  but, 
as  they  did  not  know  where  to  look  for  him, 
they  went  to  the  great  city  in  which  the  king 
of  the  country  lived,  to  inquire  whether  Jesus 
was  there,  and  to  ask  the  people  where  they 
might  find  him.  As  they  went  along,  they 
said,  "  Where  is  he  that  is  born  king  of  the 
Jews  ?  for  we  have  seen  his  star  in  the  east, 
and  are  come  to  worship  him."  But  neither 
the  king  nor  the  people  could  tell,  so  the 
wise  men  went  away  again.  As  they  went 
along,  they  looked  up  and  saw  the  beautiful 
star  which  they  had  seen  in  the  east  moving 
before  them  in  the  sky.  How  glad  they 
must  have  felt  to  behold  this  wonderful  sight ! 


74  THE    HISTORY    OP    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

t 

for  they  knew  that  God  had  put  the  star 
there,  on  purpose  to  shew  them  the  road  to 
the  place  where  Jesus  and  his  mother  were. 
So  they  watched  and  watched  it,  as  it  moved 
before  them,  till  it  stood  still  over  the  very 
stable  in  which  the  infant  Jesus  lay ;  and 
when  they  went  into  the  stable,  and  saw  him 
on  his  mother's  lap,  they  fell  down  and  wor- 
shipped him.  Then  they  opened  the  trea- 
sures they  had  brought,  and  gave  him  a 
great  many  presents,  gold,  and  sweet-smell- 
ing spice,  and  myrrh.  Though  he  was  now 
a  little  baby  in  his  mother's  arms,  the  wise 
men  knew  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  and  therefore  they 
rejoiced  to  see  him,  and  to  shew  their  joy  in 
every  way  they  possibly  could. 

There  was  a  very  wicked  king  living  in  the 
great  city  near  Bethlehem.  His  name  was 
Herod.     He  was  a  naughty,  cruel  man ;  and 


THE    WICKED    KING.  75 

when  he  heard  that  Jesus  Christ  was  born, 


he  was  vexed  and  angry,  for  he  thought  that 
if  Jesus  lived  to  become  a  man,  perhaps  he 
might  be  king  in  his  place.  He  told  the 
wise  men,  as  they  passed  through  the  city, 
to  come  back  and  tell  him  when  they  had 
found  Jesus,  that  he  might  go  and  worship 
him  also.  But  Herod  did  not  really  mean 
to  do  so.  No ;  he  only  wanted  to  kill  him. 
The  wise  men  did  not  go  back  to  tell  the 
king,  but  went  away  again  to  their  own 
country.  Then  the  wicked  king  was  so  angry 
at  not  being  able  to  find  Jesus,  that  what  do 
you  think  he  did  ?  He  gave  orders  to  have 
all  the  little  children  in  Bethlehem  killed 
who  were  not  more  than  two  years  old,  hop- 
ing to  kill  Jesus.  How  very  sad  this  was ! 
Men  were  going  about  with  swords  in  their 
hands,  peeping  into  every  house  and  asking 
for  the  children ;  and  the  poor  mothers  were 


76  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

t 

crying  so  bitterly;  and  the  little  darlings 
were  holding  out  their  little  arms  to  go  to 
their  own  mammas,  and  the  cruel  men  were 
snatching  them  away ;  and  all  was  one  sad 
scene  of  sorrow  and  distress.  But  was  Jesus 
killed  ?  Oh,  no.  God  took  care  of  him. 
Yery  soon  after  the  wise  men  were  gone  back, 
God  sent  an  angel  to  Joseph  in  a  dream; 
and  the  angel  told  Joseph  to  get  up,  and 
take  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and  go 
down  into  Egypt,  and  stay  there  a  long  time, 
to  be  out  of  wicked  King  Herod's  way. 
Joseph  did  at  once  what  the  angel  bid  him. 
He  got  up  and  saddled  his  ass,  and  set  off 
in  the  night  with  Jesus  and  Mary  his  mother, 
and  went  down  into  Egypt.  It  was  a  long 
journey  over  mountains  and  along  sandy 
roads.  But  Joseph  did  not  mind.  Indeed 
he  was  very  glad  that  he  had  done  directly 
what  the  angel  told  him,  when  he  heard  that 


JESUS    RETURNS    HOME.  77 

the  naughty  cruel  king  had  killed  all  the 
dear  little  children  at  Bethlehem. 

At  last  King  Herod  died.  Then  God  again 
sent  an  angel  to  speak  to  Joseph  while  he 
was  asleep ;  and  the  angel  told  him  to  take 
the  infant  Jesus  and  his  mother,  and  go  back 
to  his  own  country.  So  they  all  went  back 
together,  thanking  God  for  the  kind  care  he 
had  taken  of  them.  It  is  God  who  watches 
over  us  by  night  and  by  day,  and  who  is 
always  doing  us  good. 


°%gv^ 


CHAPTER   II. 

Jesus  in   the   Temple  —  Jesus   Blessing   Little  Children  — 
Jesus   Riding    on   a   Colt. 

AR-Y  and  Joseph  came  back  from 
Egypt,  and  lived  at  a  place  some 
way  from  the  village  where  Jesus 
was  born ;  for,  although  the  cruel  King  Herod 
was  dead,  they  still  felt  afraid  lest  another 
cruel  king  should  be  living  there. 

There  was  a  great  feast  held  every  year  at 
the  city  of  Jerusalem.  Numbers  of  people 
used  to  go  to  this  feast.  Mary  and  Joseph 
used  to  go.  "When  Jesus  Christ  was  twelve 
years  old  they  took  him  with  them.  They 
had  a  long,  long  journey  to  take,  and 
it  took  them  many  days  to  get  there.  People 
in  that  country  used  to  ride  upon  camels  and 
asses,  and  the  roads  were  not  so  good  as 


JESUS    IN    THE    TEMPLE.  71) 

our  roads,  so  that  they  did  not  get  on  very 
fast ;  they  had  to  wind  round  among  tlie 
mountains,  and  up  and  down  very  steep 
hills ;  and  there  were  no  inns  at  which  they 
could  rest. 

At  last  the  feast  was  over,  and  Mary  and 
Joseph  set  off  on  their  way  home.  There 
was  a  very  large  company  of  people,  and 
they  thought  that  Jesus  was  among  them ; 
but  when  they  had  gone  a  whole  day's  jour- 
ney, and  were  about  to  stop  and  rest  for  the 
night,  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  How 
frightened  poor  Mary  must  have  been,  to  miss 
her  dear  child !  "What  did  Joseph  and  Mary 
do  ?  Instead  of  stopping  to  rest  themselves, 
they  turned  back  directly  to  Jerusalem  to 
look  for  him,  travelling  up  and  down  hill 
and  across  the  sandy  plains,  till  they  came 
to  the  great  city.  And  did  they  find  Jesus 
there  ?     Yes :    after  three  days  they  found 


80  THE    HISTORY    OP    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

him — where  do  you  think  ?  in  the  temple,  or 
church,  sitting  among  the  doctors  and  learn- 
ed men,  both  hearing  them  and  asking  them 
questions.  Though  he  was  so  young,  yet 
the  questions  he  asked  and  the  answers  he 
gave  were  so  wise  and  proper,  that  every  one 
was  quite  surprised  to  hear  him.  Even 
Joseph  and  Mary  were  filled  with  wonder  and 
astonishment.  At  last  Mary,  his  mother,  told 
him  how  sorry  they  were  to  have  lost  him, 
and  asked  how  it  was  that  he  had  stayed 
behind  and  alarmed  them  so  much,  instead 
of  going  with  them  when  they  set  off  towards 
home.  Jesus  said  to  her,  "How  is  it  that  ye 
sought  me?  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be 
about  my  Father's  business  ?"  Mary  hardly 
knew  at  first  what  Jesus  meant  by  this  an- 
swer ;  but  he  meant  that  he  must  be  employ- 
ed at  those  places  and  about  those  things 
which  belong  to  God.     He  liked  to  talk  of 


M  •gaola  itido 

tavi\ 

BW   9ff   cfcjuodT     .811* 

9H0  '{Oiq  />HiJ  9QJW  0*  019 W  9Vii^. 

vT      .mid  xesd  oJ   beak^tfe   otiiip 

•  xltiv/  F>oIfn  stow  tij;M  bar,  rfqssol* 
bloi  ti9ifio 

, calrf  teof  97 lid    OJ    31 

•7  ji  w^d  f»9 
texil  ,il*  modi  foexniijlfi  bras  bir 

a  I  imD  torr  bi  iaFtl 

f)9/lil    Oil 


-JBT 


,,,s 


JESUS  IN  THE  TEMPLE. 


JESUS    HEALS    THE    AFFLICTED.  81 

God,  and  of  heaven,  and  of  holy  things,  even 
while  he  was  so  young ;  and  he  was  so  good, 
so  meek,  so  wise,  so  lovely,  that  every  one 
might  have  known  him  to  be  God's  own 
child.  "When  he  heard,  however,  that  Mary 
and  Joseph  wished  him  to  go  back  with 
them  to  their  own  home,  he  went  directly. 
He  knew  that  children  should  obey  their 
parents,  and  it  was  his  delight  to  please  them 
and  make  them  happy.  Dear  little  children, 
learn  to  be  good  and  obedient  like  Jesus 
Christ,  and  then  you  also  will  make  your 
dear  papa  and  mamma  happy. 

When  Jesus  Christ  grew  up  to  be  a  man, 
he  did  a  great  many  wonderful  things.  He 
cured  poor  people  who  were  ill,  and  made 
them  well  again.  He  touched  the  eyes  of 
poor  blind  people,  and  made  them  see  as 
well  as  ever.  "He  caused  lame  people  to 
walk  and  deaf  people  to  hear,  and   even 


82  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

t 

raised  to  life  again  those  who  had  been 
dead.  The  wonders  that  Jesus  did  were 
called  miracles. 

Jesus  had  twelve  friends  whom  he  called 
his  disciples.  One  of  them  was  named  Peter, 
and  another  Andrew,  and  another  John,  and 
another  James ;  but  perhaps  you  would  for- 
get if  you  were  to  hear  all  the  names  at  once. 
Peter  and  Andrew  were  fishermen :  they  had 
a  little  ship  of  their  own,  and  they  used  to 
go  out  in  the  night  as  well  as  in  the  day  to 
catch  fish.  One  day,  as  Jesus  was  walking 
along  the  beach,  he  saw  them  casting  their 
net  into  the  sea,  and  he  called  to  them  and 
told  them  to  leave  their  net  and  follow  him. 
And  Peter  and  Andrew  directly  put  down 
their  net,  and  left  their  little  ship,  and  went 
with  Jesus.  Then  Jesus  went  a  little  farther, 
and  saw  James  and  John,  his  brother,  sitting 
in  their  ship  with  their  father,  mending  the 


JESUS    AND    HIS    DISCIPLES.  83 

boles  in  their  nets,  for  they  also  were  fisher- 
men. And  he  called  them,  and  they  left 
their  father  and  their  nets  in  the  ship,  and 
went  with  Jesus.  Jesus  called  what  people 
he  pleased  to  come  with  him.  His  twelve 
disciples  used  to  go  about  with  him  wherever 
he  went,  and  he  used  to  talk  so  kindly  to 
them,  and  tell  them  about  God  and  about 
heaven,  and  teach  them  many  things,  that 
they  might  teach  others.  They  loved  Jesus 
Christ,  and  they  used  to  like  to  listen  to  the 
words  that  he  spoke. 

Jesus  was  always  kind  and  good,  and  full" 
of  gentleness  and  love.  Sometimes  he  used 
to  preach  to  people  in  the  temple,  or  church ; 
and  as  there  were  not  many  churches  in  that 
country,  sometimes  he  preached  in  the  fields. 
Sometimes  he  sat  in  a  ship,  and  the  people 
stood  so  near  the  edge  of  the  water  as  to 
hear   the   words    he   said.      One   of   Jesus 


84  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

Christ's  sermons  is  called  the  sermon  on  the 
mount,  because  he  preached  it  on  the  top  of 
a  mountain.  The  sermon  on  the  mount  is  a 
very  beautiful  sermon,  and  you  shall  read  it 
in  the  Bible  itself  when  you  grow  older. 

Jesus  loved  to  think  of  his  father  in 
heaven  whilst  he  was  here  on  earth.  He 
liked  to  speak  of  his  glory,  and  to  teach  peo- 
ple to  love  Him.  He  liked  to  be  often  alone, 
that  he  might  pray  to  God.  He  used  to  get 
up  early  in  the  morning,  that  he  might  have 
time  to  pray,  and  sometimes  he  spent  the 
whole  night  in  prayer. 

Prayer  is  asking  God,  our  heavenly  Father, 
to  give  us  what  we  need.  Once,  when  Jesus 
had  been  praying  with  his  disciples,  they 
said  to  him,  "  Lord,  teach  us  to  pray."  Then 
Jesus  taught  them  a  little  prayer.  It  was 
this : — 

"  Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven,  hallow- 


the  lord's  prayer.  85 

ed  be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy 
will  be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven. 
Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  for- 
give us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them 
that  trespass  against  us.  And  lead  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil :  for 
thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and 
the  glory,  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen." 

This  prayer  is  called  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
because  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  first  taught  it 
to  his  disciples.  It  is  a  very  beautiful 
prayer,  and  one  which  most  little  children 
learn  to  say.  Jesus  Christ  loves  little  child- 
ren. He  hears  them,  whether  they  pray  in 
their  own  words,  or  say  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
When  he  was  down  on  earth,  some  women 
one  day  brought  young  children  to  him,  that 
he  might  bless  them.  His  disciples  thought 
it  troublesome,  and  were  going  to  send  them 
away  again ;  but  Jesus  was  so  very  kind 


86  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

and  good  that  he  did  not  like  to  have  them 
sent  away.  He  held  out  his  arms  to  the  dear 
little  children,  and  put  his  hands  upon  their 
heads  and  blessed  them,  and  said,  "  Suffer 
the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  for- 
bid them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  How  kind  it  was  of  Jesus  to 
love  little  children!  He  loves  them  still, 
though  he  is  now  on  his  throne  of  glory  in 
heaven.  He  calls  them  his  little  lambs  ;  and 
if  they  love  Jesus  while  here  on  earth,  he 
wTill  take  them  to  heaven  when  they  die,  to 
live  with  him,  and  with  God,  and  with  the 
holy  angels  for  ever! 

As  Jesus  was  once  taking  a  long  journey, 
he  stopped  to  rest  himself  near  a  little 
village.  Then  he  told  two  of  his  disciples  to 
go  a  little  farther  to  a  place  where  two  roads 
met,  where  they  would  find  an  ass  with  a 
colt  standing  by  its  side.    He  said  they  were 


JESUS  BLESSING  LITTLE  CHILDREN. 


JESUS    RIDES    INTO    JERUSALEM.  87 

to  untie  the  colt,  and  bring  it  for  him  to  ride 
upon.     A  colt,  you  know,  is  a  young  ass. 
The  men  did  as  Jesus  told  them.     They  very 
soon  found  the  young  ass,  and  began  to  untie 
the  string  which  held  it.     Then  the  man  to 
whom  the  colt  belonged   came  and  asked 
them  what  they  were   going   to   do.      The 
disciples  said  they  were  going  to  take  it  for 
Jesus  to  ride  upon.     When  the  man  heard 
this,  he  was  quite  willing  to  let  it  go.     So 
the  disciples  brought  it  to  Jesus,  and  put 
some  of  their  own  clothes  across  it  instead 
of  a  saddle,  and  sat  Jesus  upon  it.   As  Jesus 
rode  along,  numbers  of  people — men,  women, 
and  little  children — came  to  see  him  pass. 
They  knew  that  he  was  the  same  Jesus  who 
had  made  so  many  sick  people  well,  and  who 
had  done   so   many  wonderful   things,   and 
they  were  glad   to   see  him.     Some  of  the 
people  took  off  their  coats  and  laid  them 


88  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

down  in  the  road  for  the  ass  to  tread  upon, 
and  others  gathered  large  branches  from  the 
trees  and  strewed  them  on  the  path,  while 
little  children  ran  along  by  the  side  of  the 
road  carrying  green  boughs  in  their  hands 
and  singing  songs  of  joy ;  and  in  this  manner 
Jesus  entered  into  Jerusalem.  How  happy 
these  little  children  must  have  been !  They 
knew  that  Jesus  was  their  Lord  and  Saviour. 
They  knew  that  Jesus  loved  them,  and  they 
also  loved  Jesus.  We  cannot  see  our  Saviour 
now,  for  he  is  gone  back  to  heaven ;  but  we 
can  sing  his  praises  here  on  earth,  and  we 
hope  when  we  die  to  go  to  heaven,  to  wear 
crowns  of  glory,  and  to  live  with  him  for 
ever. 

There  we  shall  better  praises  bring, 

And  raise  our  voices  higher ; 
Angels  will  teach  us  how  to  sing, 

And  we  shall  never  tire. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Jesus    in  the    Garden  —  Judas   Betrays    Him  —  Jesus   taken 

BEFORE    THE    JUDGE He    IS    NAILED    TO    THE    CROSS  —  JeSUS 

put  in  a  Tomb  —  Ascends  into  Heaven. 

OOJST  after  Jesus  had  entered  Jeru- 
salem riding  upon  the  colt,  a  num- 
ber of  wicked  people,  who  did  not 
like  him  because  he  was  so  good 
and  holy,  met  together  and  said  they  would 
try  to  kill  him.  How  sad  this  was,  and  how 
sad  it  is  to  think  that  one  of  these  very  men 
was  his  own  disciple  Judas !  Satan  had 
come  into  Judas' s  heart  and  made  him  so 
wicked.  When  naughty  thoughts  come  into 
our  hearts,  it  is  Satan  who  puts  them  there. 
The  men  did  not  know  where  to  find  Jesus, 
but  Judas  was  so  often  with  him  that  he 
knew  quite  well,  and  he  said  that  if  they 


90  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

would  give  him  some  money  lie  would  soon 
tell  them.  Then  the  wicked  people  said 
they  would  give  him  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 
Judas  pretended  to  love  Jesus,  but  he  did 
not  really  do  so,  or  he  could  never  have 
acted  so  unkindly  towards  him. 

When  the  evening  came  on  and  they  had 
sung  a  hymn  together,  Jesus  and  some  of 
his  disciples  went  out  into  a  garden.  It  was 
a  shady  and  a  pleasant  garden.  Jesus  told 
Peter  and  James  and  John  to  stay  where 
they  were,  while  he  went  a  little  farther  on 
by  himself,  that  he  might  pray  to  God. 
Jesus  loved  to  pray  to  his  Father  in  heaven, 
and  he-  often  went  alone  to  this  garden. 
Sometimes  his  disciples  went  with  him,  so 
that  Judas  knew  the  place.  When  Jesus 
had  done  praying,  he  came  back  to  his  dis- 
ciples, and  told  them  it  was  now  time  to  go 
home,  for  the  sun  had  set  a  long  time,  and 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    JESUS.  91 

it  was  almost  dark.  Just  at  this  moment  a 
great  crowd  of  men  and  soldiers,  armed  with 
swords  and  sticks,  and  carrying  lanterns  and 
lighted  torches  in  their  hands,  rushed  from 
behind  the  trees.  They  were  looking  for 
Jesus.  Judas  had  watched  Jesus  go  over 
the  little  brook  into  the  garden  that  night, 
and  had  called  the  band  of  men  and  officers 
together  on  purpose  that  they  might  follow 
and  take  him.  Then  naughty  wicked  Judas 
went  up  to  Jesus  and  kissed  him.  He  did 
not  kiss  him  because  he  loved  him,  but  only 
that  the  soldiers  might  know  whom  to  seize 
upon.  Jesus  did  not  run  away.  He  only 
asked  the  men  whom  they  were  looking  for. 
When  the  men  said  they  were  looking  for 
Jesus,  he  said  "  I  am  he."  Then  they  bound 
his  hands  with  cords  and  led  him  away, 
laughing  at  him  as  they  went  along,  and 
treating  him  in  the  most  cruel  and  unkind 


92  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

manner  they  possibly  could ;  but  Jesus  was 
so  meek  and  gentle,  that  he  hardly  spoke  a 
word. 

Then  the  soldiers  took  Jesus  to  a  grand 
house  in  Jerusalem,  where  a  number  of  the 
proud  wicked  men  who  wanted  to  have  him 
killed  were  sitting  up  together.  They  had 
sent  the  soldiers  to  fetch  him.  When  the 
proud  men  saw  Jesus  they  were  glad.  They 
kept  him  there  all  night,  meaning  in  the 
morning  to  take  him  before  the  judge,  and 
to  ask  the  judge  what  they  should  do  with 
him. 

As  soon  as  it  was  morning  the  wicked 
people  said  to  each  other,  "  Now  let  us  take 
Jesus  to  the  judge."  Then  they  left  the  line 
house  where  they  had  been  sitting  up  all 
night,  and  went  away  to  the  judge.  The 
judge  was  sitting  upon  a  high  seat  in  the 
judgment-hall.     His  name  was  Pilate.     He 


n  giKoL  ir/d  rMuoo  vfdi 


he 


ta  new  tnifn 

JESUS  BROUGHT  BEFORE  PILATE. 


HE  IS  BEATEN  BY  THE  SOLDTERS.      93 

had  never  seen  Jesus  before,  and  lie  did  not 
like  at  first  to  have  him  punished,  for  he 
could  not  find  that  he  had  done  any  thing 
wrong.  The  wicked  men,  however,  who  had 
brought  him  to  Pilate,  made  such  a  noise, 
and  talked  and  begged  so  much,  that  at  last 
the  cruel  judge  gave  orders  for  Jesus  to  have 
nails  run  through  his  hands  and  feet,  and 
that  he  should  be  fastened  up  upon  a  wooden 
cross.  When  the  soldiers  heard  Pilate  give 
this  order,  they  were  so  glad  that  they  shout- 
ed for  joy ;  and  they  led  Jesus  down  stairs 
into  the  common  hall,  where  they  beat  him 
with  hard  ropes  full  of  knots  till  the  blood 
ran  down  his  back.  Then  they  took  off  his 
own  clothes  and  dressed  him  in  a  purple 
robe,  such  as  kings  wear,  and  plaited  a 
crown  of  thorns  and  put  it  on  his  head,  and 
put  a  reed  in  his  right  hand,  and  knelt  down 
before  him,  laughing  at  him,  and  saying  all 


94  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

the  unkind  things  they  could  think  of.  Oh ! 
what  cruel  wicked  people  they  were,  thus  to 
treat  the  kind  and  gentle  Saviour ! 

After  this  they  took  off  the  purple  robe 
and  put  on  his  own  clothes  again,  and  led 
hirn  away  to  crucify  hiin.  The  place  where 
Jesus  Christ  was  crucified  was  called  Mount 
Calvary. 

Were  all  the  people  glad  to  have  Jesus 
treated  in  this  dreadful  manner  ?  JSTo  ;  there 
were  a  few  people  who  were  sorry,  very  sor- 
ry, to  see  him  so  cruelly  used.  His  own  mo- 
ther, Mary,  and  a  few  other  women,  came 
crying  after  him  as  the  cruel  soldiers  led  him 
along  to  the  hill  where  they  meant  to  crucify 
him.  As  they  were  going  there,  they  met  a 
man  named  Simon,  and  they  made  him  come 
and  carry  the  cross  upon  which  they  were 
about  to  nail  Jesus.  When  they  reached 
the  top  of  Mount  Calvary  they  laid  Jesus 


HE    IS    CRUCIFIED.  95 

upon  the  cross,  stretching  out  his  arms  on 
each  side,  and  running  sharp  nails  through 
his  hands  and  his  feet.  Then  they  dug  a 
hole  in  the  ground,  and  made  the  cross  stand 
upright  in  the  hole,  with  Jesus  nailed  upon 
it.  The  crown  of  thorns  was  still  around  his 
head,  and  large  drops  of  blood  trickled  down 
his  face. 

Nailed  upon  the  cross,  behold, 

How  his  tender  limbs  are  torn  ; 
For  a  royal  crown  of  gold, 

They  have  made  him  one  of  thorn. 
Cruel  hands,  that  dare  to  bind 
Thorns  upon  a  brow  so  kind  ! 

How  great  his  pain  and  sufferings  must 
have  been!  and  yet  amidst  them  all,  though 
our  blessed  Lord  could  not  put  his  hands 
together  in  prayer,-  he  still  prayed  to  God  to 
forgive  the  wicked  people  who  were  treating 
him  so  cruelly.  These  were  the  words  Jesus 
said  :  "  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know 


96  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

not  what  they  do."  There  was  a  cross  on 
each  side  of  Jesus,  and  a  thief  was  nailed  on 
each  cross  at  the  same  time.  One  of  these 
thieves  prayed  to  Jesus  to  remember  him 
when  he  got  to  heaven,  and  Jesus  promised 
that  he  should  go  to  heaven  with  him  that 
very  day. 

When  Jesus  was  crucified,  Pilate,  the 
judge,  wrote  these  words  and  put  them  on 
the  top  of  the  cross :  "  This  is  Jesus  the  King 
of  the  Jews."  The  people  who  lived  in  Je- 
rusalem and  that  part  of  the  country  were 
called  Jews.  When  they  saw  these  words, 
they  shouted  and  said,  "  If  you  are  a  king, 
come  down  from  the  cross."  Then  they 
walked  backwards  and  forwards  nodding 
their  heads  at  Jesus,  and  laughing  at  his 
sufferings.  And  when  he  asked  for  some- 
thing to  drink,  one  of  the  cruel  soldiers  ran 
and  filled  a  sponge  full  of  vinegar,  and  put 


"it  is  finished."  97 

it  on  a  reed,  and  held  it  up  to  his  mouth. 
When  Jesus  had  tasted  the  vinegar,  he  cried, 
"  It  is  finished !"  By  this  he  meant  that  his 
sufferings  were  over.  He  was  going  to  die — 
going  to  heaven — going  to  be  with  God  and 
with  the  holy  angels.  This  was  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  that  we 
call  Good  Friday.  Though  it  was  day-time 
when  Jesus  died,  yet  God  made  it  dark,  quite 
dark ;  and  there  was  a  great  earthquake,  and 
the  people  were  very  much  frightened.  But 
it  was  too  late  to  undo  what  they  had  done. 
They  had  crucified  Jesus,  and  his  sufferings 
were  over  for  ever. 

Many  people  were  very  sorry  when  they 
saw  Jesus  Christ  nailed  upon  the  cross. 
Mary,  his  mother,  was  very  sorry ;  her  heart 
was  almost  broken  with  grief.  All  the  dis- 
ciples, except  the  naughty  wicked  Judas, 
were  sorry,  and  there  was  one  good  man 


98  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

t 

named  Joseph,  who  was  very  sorry.  He  was 
a  rich  man,  and  had  a  large  garden.  There 
was  a  tomb  in  his  garden  cut  out  in  the  side 
of  a  rock.  A  tomb  means  a  place  to  bury 
people  in.  When  Joseph  found  that  Jesus 
was  really  dead,  he  went  to  the  judge  and 
asked  leave  to  take  his  body  down  from  the 
cross,  and  to  bury  it  in  his  own  new  tomb. 
The  judge  said  he  might  if  he  liked.  So 
Joseph  took  it  down  and  wrapped  it  in 
linen,  and  carried  it  to  his  own  garden,  and 
laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb.  Then  he 
rolled  a  large  stone  to  the  door  of  the 
tomb,  that  no  one  might  open  it.  This  was 
on  the  Friday  evening.  Early  on  the  Sunday 
morning  after,  just  as  it  was  getting  light, 
two  women  who  had  loved  Jesus  very  much, 
and  who  had  watched  Joseph  take  him  down 
from  the  cross,  came  into  the  garden  and 
went  to  the  tomb,  hoping  they  might  find 


i 


THE    EMPTY    SEPULCHRE.  99 

some  one  who  would  roll  away  the  stone. 
But  to  their  great  surprise  it  was  rolled  away 
already.  Then  they  looked  into  the  tomb ; 
but  Jesus  was  not  there.  Two  beautiful 
angels,  dressed  in  white,  were  sitting  in  the 
place  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain,  and 
they  spoke  sweetly  and  kindly  to  the  women, 
and  told  them  that  Jesus  was  come  to  life 
again,  and  that  they  should  soon  see  him. 
How  very  full  of  surprise  and  joy  the  women 
must  have  been,  when  they  heard  the  angels' 
words !  They  hardly  knew  what  to  do,  they 
were  so  glad.  At  last  they  thought  they 
would  run  back  and  tell  the  disciples  the 
wonderful  news.  But  just  as  they  were 
going,  Jesus  met. them,  and  called  them  by 
their  names,  and  spoke  to  them  in  his  own 
kind  voice.  Then  they  knew  that  what  the 
angels  had  said  was  true,  and  that  their  own 
dear  Lord  and  Master  was  indeed  come  to 


100  THE    HISTORY    OP    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

life  again.  How  wonderful!  It  was  Jesus 
their  Saviour,  the  very  same  Jesus  who, 
only  two  days  before,  had  been  nailed  upon 
the  cross  on  Mount  Calvary. 

The  women  soon  went  and  told  the  disci- 
ples what  had  happened ;  that  they  had  seen 
Jesus,  and  that  he  had  been  talking  with 
them.  Then  the  disciples  were  very  glad 
also,  so  glad  that  they  could  think  of  nothing 
else.  Jesus  told  them  that  he  should  not 
die  any  more,  but  that  he  should  soon  go  to 
heaven,  and  that  when  he  was  in  heaven  he 
would  send  down  his  Holy  Spirit  into  their 
hearts  to  comfort  them.  He  told  them  also 
that  they  should  soon  meet  him  again  in 
heaven,  and  that  they  must  go  about  teach- 
ing people  to  love  and  serve  God,  and  obey 
his  commands. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  time,  as  Jesus  was 
one  day  walking  with  his  disciples  near  a 


CHRIST    ASCENDS    TO    HEAVEN.  101 

little  village  called  Bethany,  they  went  to- 
gether to  the  top  of  a  hill.  Then  Jesus 
began  to  pray  and  to  lift  up  his  hands  and 
to  bless  his  disciples,  and  while  he  blessed 
them  he  was  parted  from  them  and  taken  up 
into  heaven.  They  watched  him  as  he  rose 
higher  and  higher,  till  a  cloud  received  him 
out  of  their  sight.  He  was  gone  far,  far 
beyond  the  blue  sky.  Then  they  could  see 
him  no  longer ;  but  they  knew  that  he  was 
gone  back  to  God,  his  heavenly  Father,  there 
to  sit  upon  a  throne  of  glory  at  his  right 
hand,  and  to  prepare  a  place  for  all  who  love 
him. 

And  now,  dear  little  children,  we  have 
traced  the  history  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  bless- 
ed Saviour,  from  the  time  that  he  was  lying 
as  a  little  baby  in  the  manger  at  Bethlehem, 
until  he  ascended  up  to  heaven  from  the  hill 
at  Bethany.     How  kind,  how  gentle,   and 


102  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

how  full  of  love  Jesus  was !  How  much  he 
suffered  when  the  cruel  people  nailed  him 
on  the  cross !  Why  did  he  go  through  all 
those  dreadful  pains  ?  Why  did  he  leave  his 
throne  of  glory  in  heaven,  and  come  clown 
into  the  world,  and  live  so  many  years  here 
on  earth,  and  then  allow  those  wicked  people 
to  crucify  him  ?  Dear  little  children,  it  was 
to  save  us  from  our  sins.  We  should  all 
have  gone  to  hell,  if  Jesus  had  not  died  upon 
the  cross.  But  Jesus  knew  that  if  he  died 
upon  the  cross,  every  one  who  loved  him 
would  go  to  heaven  when  they  die.  There- 
fore let  us  all  love  Jesus,  our  dear,  kind 
Saviour.  Let  us  pray  to  him  more,  and 
love  him  more,  and  try  more  and  more  to 
please'  him.  Let  us  ask  him  to  send  his 
Holy  Spirit  into  our  hearts  to  help  us  to  do 
so ;  and  then  we  know  that  when  we  die, 


HOLY    ANGELS.  103 

he  will  take  us  up  to  heaven ;  there  to  wear 
crowns  of  glory,  and  to  join  the  holy  angels 
in  singing  songs  of  praise  to  God  and  to  the 
Lamb  for  ever. 


~^p8^ 


C|e  fjjirades  d  (Sur  ^atarar. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Jesus    turns   Water   into    Wine  —  Cures    the    Nobleman's 
little  Boy  —  He  raises  a  little  Girl  from  the  Dead. 

UR  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  lived  when  he  was  on  earth, 
in  a  country  called  the  Holy  Land. 
It  is  a  long  way,  a  very  long  way, 
from  the  country  in  which  we  live. 
It  would  take  us  many  days  to  get 
there,  and  we  could  not  get  to  the  Holy 
Land  without  going  in  a  ship  or  steam-boat 
across  the  sea.  There  are  many  mountains 
in  the  Holy  Land,  high  mountains,  the  tops 
of  which  seem  almost  to  touch  the  clouds ; 


THE    HOLY    LAND.  105 

and  there  are  great  deserts  where  you  may 
travel  for  many  miles  across  the  sand  with- 
out seeing  a  shrub  or  a  tree.  Sometimes 
people  come  to  a  little  spring  of  water  when 
they  are  crossing  the  deserts,  and  then  they 
are  glad ;  for  the  country  is  warm,  and  they 
are  pleased  to  find  water  to  drink.  Some- 
times people  come  to  a  clump  of  high  trees, 
called  palm-trees,  and  then  they  are  glad; 
for  it  is  very  pleasant  to  rest  under  the 
shade  of  the  palm-trees.  The  chief  city  or 
large  town  in  England,  is  called  London. 
The  chief  city  or  town  in  the  Holy  Land  is 
called  Jerusalem.  In  the  northern  part  of 
the  Holy  Land  there  was  a  little  town  called 
Cana.  It  was  at  this  place  that  Jesus 
worked  his  first  miracle.  By  a  miracle  is 
meant  something  very  wonderful.  Some- 
thing that  only  God,  or  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  could  do.     I  will  tell  you  what 


106  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

the  first  miracle  was.  Jesus  was  always 
kind,  and  he  used  often  to  go  to  the  houses 
of  the  people  who  loved  him.  There  was 
a  man  living  at  Cana  who  loved  Jesus,  and 
who  asked  him  to  go  to  his  house.  This 
man  gave  a  grand  dinner  or  feast  to  his 
friends,  and  it  was  called  a  wedding-feast. 
Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  was  there,  and 
some  of  his  disciples  were  there  also.  By 
his  disciples,  I  mean  his  friends,  Peter,  and 
Andrew,  and  Philip,  and  James,  and  John. 
The  people  had  wine  to  drink  at  the  feast. 
The  wine  was  made  of  grapes  that  grew  on 
vines  in  the  Holy  Land.  But  there  was  not 
wine  enough  for  so  many  people,  and  before 
the  feast  was  over,  they  had  drunk  it  all. 
Jesus'  mother  told  him  that  the  wine  was 
gone.  She  knew  that  Jesus  could  do  all 
things,  and  perhaps  she  thought  that  he 
would  make  more  wine.     Did  Jesus  do  so  ? 


JESUS    TURNS    WATER    INTO    WINE.  107 

Yes,  he  did ;  but  lie  made  the  new  wine 
without  having  grapes  to  make  it  of.  He 
only  told  the  servants  who  were  standing  by 
to  fill,  some  water-pots  with  water.  These 
water-pots  were  very  large,  and  were  made 
of  stone.  As  soon  as  they  were  full,  Jesus 
said,  "  Draw  out  now,  and  carry  some  to  the 
master  of  the  feast."  Then  the  servants  did 
as  Jesus  bid  them ;  and  when  the  master  of 
the  feast  had  tasted  the  water,  he  found 
that  it  was  turned  into  nice  sweet  wine! 
How  wonderful  this  must  have  seemed  to 
him,  and  to  all  the  wedding  guests  who 
had  come  to  Oana  that  day !  They  felt  sure 
now  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God;  for 
no  one  could  have  done  such  a  wonderful 
miracle  as  this,  or  turned  water  into  wine, 
except  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  who 
came  down  from  heaven,  and  who,  during 
the  whole  time  he  was  upon  earth,  went 
about  doing  good. 


108  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

Sometimes,  dear  little  children,  you  are 
ill,  and  then  how  anxious  your  dear  papa 
and  mamma  are  about  you!  Your  mamma 
nurses  you.  You  lean  your  head  upon  her 
bosom,  and  she  does  all  she  can  to  soothe 
your  pain,  and  to  hush  you  gently  to  sleep. 
And  while  she  does  this,  she  thinks  of  Jesus 
and  of  all  his  tender  care  and  love  to  little 
children ;  and  often  she  kneels  down  by 
your  bedside,  and  prays  to  him  to  make  you 
well  again.  True,  he  is  not  now  here  upon 
earth;  but  still  he  hears  our  prayers,  and 
can  answer  them  just  as  he  used  to  do  when 
he  lived  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  when  the 
people  used  to  bring  their  poor  sick  friends 
to  him  and  beg  him  to  cure  them.  You  will 
like  to  hear,  I  think,  about  the  nobleman's 
son,  whom  Jesus  cured  by  only  speaking  a 
word,  without  giving  him  medicine,  or  even 
seeing  him.     Jesus  had  been  to  Jerusalem, 


HE    CURES    THE    RICH    MAN'S    SON.  109 

and  was  just  returned,  after  a  long  journey, 
to  Cana,  that  little  town  I  told  you  of  in  the 
last  story,  where  the  marriage-feast  took 
place,  and  where  he  turned  the  water  into 
wine.  While  Jesus  was  stopping  at  Cana, 
a  rich  gentleman,  who  lived  at  the  town  of 
Capernaum,  a  place  about  fifteen  miles  off, 
came  to  see  Jesus,  and  to  beg  him  to  go 
down  and  heal  his  son ;  for  he  was  so  very 
ill  that  no  one  thought  he  could  live.  "  Sir, 
come  down,"  he  said,  "  ere  my  child  die." 
He  was  in  great  grief,  and  could  hardly 
speak  for  weeping,  just  as  your  own  papa 
and  mamma  would  have  cried  if  either  of 
their  dear  children  had  been  so  ill.  Did 
Jesus  go  down  ?  JSTo ;  I  will  tell  you  what 
he  did,  which  seems  even  more  wonderful. 
He  spoke  in  a  kind  tender  voice  to  the 
nobleman,  and  said,  "  Go  thy  way,  thy  son 
liveth."     The  nobleman  believed  what  Jesus 


110  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

said.  He  knew  that  whatever  Jesus  said 
must  be  true.  He  did  not  ask  him  again  to 
come  down.  He  did  not  ask  him  again 
whether  his  little  boy  would  get  well,  but  he 
set  out  with  joy  on  his  journey  home,  feeling 
sure  that  his  child  would  not  die.  This  was 
Faith.  Faith  is  believing — feeling  quite 
sure  that  whatever  God  says  is  true.  Faith 
is  pleasing  to  God.  He  likes  us  to  believe 
what  he  says ;  and  he  gives  us  his  Holy 
Bible  to  tell  us  what  to  believe,  and  his 
Holy  Spirit  to  help  us  to  believe. 

The  nobleman  had  a  long  way  to  go  back, 
across  sandy  plains,  and  winding  along  the 
steep  mountain  side ;  and  it  was  not  till  the 
next  day  that  he  had  nearly  reached  his 
home.  As  he  drew  near  to  the  little  town 
where  his  house  was,  he  met  some  of  his 
servants.  What  could  they  be  coming  for  ? 
Was  it  to  tell  him  that  his  child  was  dead  ? 


THE    CHILD    RECOVERS.  Ill 

Oh,  no ;  it  was  to  tell  him  the  joyful  news 
that  his  little  boy  was  alive  and  getting 
well  again.  How  happy  the  poor  father  felt 
when  he  heard  this !  JSTow  his  tears  were  all 
wiped  away,  and  his  face  looked  Ml  of  joy 
and  gladness.  "When  did  he  begin  to  get 
better  ?"  he  asked.  "  How  long  is  it  since  ?" 
"Yesterday,"  said  the  servants,  "at  seven 
o'clock  the  fever  left  him."  How  wonderful ! 
for  that  was  the  very  hour  when  Jesus  was 
speaking  to  the  nobleman — just  the  very 
time  when  he  was  saying  to  the  father,  "Thy 
son  liveth."  Just  then  the  child  began  to 
get  well,  and  the  fever  left  him.  This  was 
the  second  miracle  that  Jesus  did,  and  num- 
bers of  people  came  to  him,  and  believed  in 
him,  and  loved  him,  when  they  saw  it.  But 
though  Jesus  is  gone  back  to  heaven,  and 
we,  cannot  come  to  him  as  the  nobleman  did 
when  our  friends  are  ill ;  yet,  as  the  little 
hymn  says, 


112     THE  MIRACLES  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR. 

"  Still  to  his  footstool  in  prayer  we  may  go, 
And  ask  for  a  share  in  his  love ; 
And  if  we  thus  earnestly  seek  him  below, 
We  shall  see  him  and  hear  him  above." 

I  told  you  of  a  little  boy  whom  Jesus 
cured.  Now  I  will  tell  you  of  a  little  girl. 
I  do  not  know  her  name ;  but  her  father's 
name  was  Jairus.  He  was  a  good  man,  and 
one  who  loved  God,  and  he  believed  that 
Jesus  Christ  could  make  his  little  girl  well 
again  when  she  was  ill ;  and  even  more  than 
this,  could  make  her  come  to  life  again  when 
she  was  dead.  The  little  girl  was  about 
twelve  years  old.  She  had  no  brothers  or 
sisters,  and  her  papa  and  mamma  loved  her 
dearly.  At  length  she  became  ill.  A  little 
child  may  be  gay  and  rosy,  running  about 
the  house  in  health  and  spirits  one  day,  and 
the  next  day  this  same  little  child  .may  be 
lying  on  its  bed  weak  and  in  pain.     So  it 


JAIRUS'S    DAUGHTER.  113 

was  with  this  little  girl,  Jairus's  daughter. 
She  became  very  ill,  and  she  grew  weaker 
and  weaker  every  day,  and  at  last  she  was 
dying.  Then  her  father,  who  had  often 
heard  of  the  wonderful  miracles  that  Jesus 
did,  and  how  he  could  cure  poor  sick  people, 
set  off  to  go  to  Jesus.  When  he  came  to 
him  he  fell  down  at  his  feet  in  great  grief, 
and  said,  "  My  daughter  is  even  now  dead ; 
but  come  and  lay  thy  hand  upon  her,  and 
she  shall  live."  Jesus  was  always  full  of 
kindness  and  of  love,  and  he  directly  set  off 
to  Jairus's  house  to  see  the  little  child.  As 
they  were  going  along  the  road  they  met  a 
servant,  who  came  to  Jairus  and  said  it  was 
of  no  use  to  trouble  Jesus,  for  the  little  girl 
was  dead.  When  Jesus  heard  what  the  ser- 
vant said,  instead  of  turning  back,  he  only 
said  to  her  father,  "Fear  not;  believe  only, 
and  she  shall  be  made  whole."     It  was  the 

8 


114:  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

custom  in  that  country,  when  any  one  died, 
for  people  to  call  minstrels  to  come  with 
their  drums  and  fifes,  and  to  make  mournful 
music ;  and  when  Jesus  and  Jairus  got  near 
the  house,  they  heard  these  minstrels  with 
their  music  weeping  and  wailing.  Jesus 
told  them  to  stop ;  saying,  in  his  own  kind 
voice,  "Weep  not;  she  is  not  dead,  but 
sleepeth."  They  laughed  when  they  heard 
this,  for  they  did  not  know  how  to  believe 
it.  Jesus  then  sent  all  the  people  out  ex- 
cept Peter  and  James  and  John,  and  the 
little  girl's  father  and  mother,  and  went  into 
the  room  and  took  hold  of  the  little  girl's 
hand  and  called  her,  saying,  "  Maid,  arise ;" 
and  her  spirit  came  again,  and  she  got  up 
directly  as  Jesus  bid  her,  to  the  great  delight 
of  her  dear  father  and  mother.  How  happy 
they  must  have  felt  when  they  saw  her  open 
her  eyes  and  smile  upon  them  again !     How 


M     !  ni 

JAIRUS'  DAUGHTER  RAISED  TO  L1EE. 


•  jV 


LOVE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  115 

they  must  have  loved  Jesus  Christ  for  his 
great  kindness ! 

"  I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old, 
When  Jesus  was  here  among  men  ; 
How  he  called  little  children  like  lambs  to  his  fold  — 
I  should  like  to  have  been  with  him  then. 

I  wish  that  his  hand  had  been  placed  on  my  head, 
That  his  arm  had  been  thrown  around  me, 

And  that  I  might  have  seen  his  kind  look  when  he  said, 
1  Let  the  little  ones  come  unto  me.' " 


CHAPTER    II. 

The   Loaves   and  Fishes  —  Jesus  walks   on  the   Sea  —  The 
Fish  with  Money  in  its  Mouth. 

ARGE  crowds  of  people  used  to 
follow  Jesus,  because  they  liked  to 
e^hear  him  talk  to  theni,  and  to  see 
the  miracles  that  he  did.  Many  people,  too, 
liked  to  bring  their  sick  friends  to  Jesus, 
that  he  might  make  them  well.  There  are 
in  the  Holy  Land  large  deserts  or  tracts  of 
country,  without  a  single  house  or  tree,  and 
one  day  an  immense  number  of  people,  more 
than  five  thousand,  came  after  Jesus  into 
one  of  these  deserts.  I  do  not  think  you 
ever  saw  so  large  a  crowd  of  people.  There 
were  men,  women  and  children.  The  sun 
had  set,  and  it  was  getting  dark,  when  the 
disciples  came  and  asked  Jesus  whether  it 


FIVE    LOAVES    AND    TWO    FISHES.  117 

would  not  be  better  to  send  the  people 
away,  that  they  might  go  into  the  villages 
and  buy  themselves  something  for  their 
supper ;  for  they  had  been  a  long  time  with- 
out food,  and  must  be  hungry.  Jesus  said, 
"No:  do  not  send  them  away;  give  them 
something  to  eat."  "  There  is  a  lad  here," 
said  Andrew,  "who  has  five  barley  loaves 
and  two  small  fishes ;  but  what  are  they 
among  so  many  ?"  Jesus,  however,  said, 
"Make  the  men  sit  down."  So  they  sat 
down  in  rows  upon  the  soft,  green  grass, 
fifty  in  one  row  and  fifty  in  another.  There 
were  more  people  than  you  see  together  at 
church  on  Sunday  morning.  As  soon  as 
they  were  all  seated  on  the  grass,  Jesus  took 
the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  and  look- 
ing up  to  heaven,  he  prayed  to  God  to  bless 
the  food  they  were  about  to  eat.  You  see, 
dear  children,  Jesus  would  not  eat  without 


118     THE  MIRACLES  OP  OUR  SAVIOUR. 

asking  God  for  his  blessing ;  and  we  should 
always  do  the  same  when  we  sit  down  to 
our  daily  meals,  for  it  is  our  heavenly  Father 
who  causes  the  corn  to  grow,  and  who  pro- 
vides for  all  our  wants.  As  soon  as  Jesus 
had  prayed  for  a  blessing,  he  gave  the 
loaves  and  fishes  to  the  disciples,  and  told 
them  to  go  round  and  give  the  people  some 
for  their  supper.  Although  there  were  so 
many  people,  yet  there  was  enough  for  them 
all.  The  loaves  of  bread  that  they  used  to 
eat  in  the  Holy  Land  were  thin  and  brittle, 
like  biscuits,  and  were  therefore  broken  and 
not  cut ;  but  how  wonderful  it  is  that  as  fast 
as.  they  were  broked  and  given  to  the 
people  still  they  did  not  come  to  an  end ! 
The  food  lasted  so  long  that  there  was  more 
and  more,  and  more  and  more.  Every  one 
had  a  good  supper.  When  all  had  done, 
Jesus  told  his  disciples  to  gather  up  the 


WE    MUST    NOT    WASTE.  119 

bits  that  were  left,  that  there  might  be  no 
waste,  and  they  filled  twelve  baskets  full. 
This  shews  us  that  we  ought  not  to  waste 
any  thing.  When  little  children  are  leaving 
bits  of  bread  and  crust  after  their  meals, 
they  should  remember  that  Jesus  told  his 
disciples  not  to  waste  any  thing.  The 
crumbs  that  children  leave  on  the  table 
after  their  breakfast  or  dinner  would  often 
make  a  meal  for  a  little  bird ;  and  the  bits 
of  bread  that  are  left  would  often  make  a 
poor  hungry  boy's  eyes  sparkle  with  joy. 
When  we  pray  every  morning,  "  Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread,"  let  us  remember  it  is 
the  great  and  good  God  who  gives  us  every 
thing  we  have,  and  who  sent  his  only  Son 
into  the  world,  to  go  about  doing  good,  and 
to  feed  the  poor  hungry  people  in  the  desert. 
After  Jesus  had  fed  that  great  multitude 
of  people  with  the  loaves  and  the  fishes,  he 


120  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

went  up  into  a  mountain  to  pray,  and  told 
his  disciples  to  get  into  a  little  ship  and 
cross  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  sea.  They 
loved  Jesus,  and  they  liked  to  do  what  he 
told  them  to  do ;  and  soon  they  set  sail  in 
their  little  ship.  But  the  evening  came  on ; 
the  wind  began  to  blow,  and  it  blew  louder 
and  louder,  until  the  little  ship  that  the 
disciples  were  in  was  dashed  about  among 
the  waves.  They  were  all  alone.  Do  you 
think  they  were  frightened  ?  We  need  never 
be  frightened  if  we  place  our  trust  in  God, 
who  alone  can  take  care  of  us  in  the  dark 
night  as  well  as  in  the  day-time.  Jesus  was 
on  the  mountain  praying;  but  when  the 
storm  arose  he  went  down  from  the  moun- 
tain that  he  might  go  and  comfort  his  disci- 
ples. Did  he  take  a  little  boat  to  go  across 
the  rough  waves?  No:  Jesus  can  do  every 
thing.     He  could  walk  upon  the  water  just 


.1ESUS  WALKING  OiN  THE  WATKK 


JESUS    WALKS    UPON   THE    WATER.  121 

as  well  as  upon  dry  land ;  and  he  went 
towards  his  disciples,  walking  upon  the  sea. 
This  was  so  wonderful,  that  even  the  disci- 
ples themselves  were  almost  frightened,  and 
could  hardly  believe  it  was  Jesus.  Soon, 
however,  he  came  quite  near  and  spoke  to 
them  in  his  own  kind  voice,  and  said,  "  It  is 
I:  be  not  afraid."  Oh!  how  glad  they  must 
have  been  to  hear  that  gentle  voice,  and  to 
find  that  their  Saviour  was  indeed  near  them ! 
Peter  was  one  of  the  disciples  in  the  little 
ship,  and  he  asked  Jesus  to  let  him  come  to 
him  upon  the  water.  Jesus  said,  "  Come." 
Then  Peter  stepped  over  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel and  began  to  walk  on  the  water.  But 
when  he  heard  the  loud  wind  blow,  and  saw 
the  great  waves,  he  was  frightened,  and 
began  to  sink,  and  cried  out,  "Lord,  save 
me!"  Jesus  was  so  kind  that  he  put  out 
his  hand  to  help  Peter,  and  told  him  not  to 


122  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

fear.  Peter  need  not  have  been  afraid.  He 
ought  to  have  remembered  that  Jesus  would 
take  care  of  him.  Jesus  took  Peter  safely 
to  the  ship,  and  then  directly  all  was  calm. 
The  wind  left  off  blowing,  and  the  great 
waves  became  still  as  a  lake.  Just  before, 
the  little  ship  was  so  dashed  about  that 
there  was  danger  of  its  being  broken  in 
pieces ;  but  now  it  glided  smoothly  and  gen- 
tly in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  until  it  brought 
the  disciples  safely  to  the  place  on  the  other 
side,  where  they  were  going. 

Dear  little  children,  you  see  how  wonder- 
ful as  well  as  how  kind  Jesus  Christ  is! 
He  could  take  care  of  his  disciples  in  that 
rough  sea,  and  he  will  take  care  of  every  lit- 
tle child  who  tries  to  love  and  please  him. 

People  who  go  about  collecting  money  to 
pay  to  the  king  or  queen,  are  called  tax- 
gatherers.     There  were  tax-gatherers  in  the 


THE    TAX-GATHERERS.  123 

Holy  Land,  who  used  to  go  about  collecting 
money.  The  people  once  came  to  Jesus  and 
asked  him  to  pay  some  tax-money.  Jesus 
had  no  money  to  give  them ;  for  though  he 
was  the  Lord  of  all,  he  was  poor,  and  had 
no  house  of  his  own,  nor  any  place  where  he 
might  lay  his  blessed  head.  There  is  a  text 
in  the  Bible  which  says,  "The  foxes  have 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests, 
but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay 
his  head;"  and  you  have  learned  the  little 
hymn  which  says, 

"  Soft  and  easy  is  thy  cradle ; 

Coarse  and  hard  thy  Saviour  lay, 
When  his  birth-place  was  a  stable, 
And  his  softest  bed  was  hay." 

Jesus,  therefore,  said  to  Peter,  who  was 
standing  by,  "Go  to  the  sea,  and  cast  a 
hook,  and  take  up  the  first  fish  that  cometh 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  poor  lame  Man  cured  —  Lazarus  raised  to  Life  —  The 
bund  Men  cured. 

OW  I  will  tell  you  about  a  poor 
lame  man  whom  Jesus  cured.  This 
poor  man  lived  at  Jerusalem.  When 
he  was  a  little  boy  he  could  not 
run  about  and  play  in  the  garden  and  in 
the  nice  green  fields  as  you  do,  for  he  was 
lame  and  unable  to  walk.  Poor  man !  how 
sorry  we  should  have  been  for  him  if  we 
had  seen  him.  It  is  sad  to  see  poor  lame 
people  when  they  are  not  able  to  move,  or 
to  use  their  limbs.  Now  look  at  the  picture, 
and  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it.  You  see 
there  is  a  pool,  with  steps  down  into  the 
water,  and  several  people  seem  to  be.  bath- 
ing there,  while  the  poor  lame  man,  with  his 


IfH    i 


m 

Sj   ■•■:■!-- 


THE  LAME  MAN  C¥RED 


THE    LAME    MAN    CURED.  127 

crutches,  seems  to  be  lying  down  by  the  side 
of  the  pool,  and  great  numbers  of  other 
poor  sick  people  are  standing  near  him. 
What  are'  they  waiting  for  ?  You  shall  hear. 
An  angel  from  heaven  sometimes  went  down 
into  the  pool  and  troubled  the  water ;  and 
then  whoever  stepped  in  first  after  the  angel 
had  been,  was  made  well  of  whatever  com- 
plaint he  had.  Now  the  poor  lame  man 
wanted  very  much  to  get  into  the  pool  and 
to  be  made  well,  but  not  being  able  to  move 
by  himself,  some  one  always  got  down 
before  him.  When  Jesus  passed  by  one 
day,  and  saw  this  poor  lame  man  lying  there, 
he  was  sorry  for  him,  and  asked  him  whether 
he  should  like  to  be  made  well.  The  poor 
lame  man  said  he  should  like  it  very  much, 
but  he  had  no  friend  to  put  him  into  the 
pool.  Then  Jesus  said,  "  Rise,  take  up  thy 
bed  and  walk."     Now  the  bed  that  the  poor 


128     THE  MIRACLES  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR. 

man  was  lying  upon  was  not  like  the  nice 
soft  beds  that  little  children  in  England 
sleep  upon :  no ;  it  was  only  a  large  mat 
made  of  grass,  and  could  be  easily  rolled 
up  and  unrolled.  Poor  people  in  eastern 
countries  still  sleep  upon  mats  that  they  can 
roll  up  and  carry  from  place  to  place  under 
their  arms.  Directly  Jesus  told  the  poor 
man  to  take  up  his  bed  and  walk,  he  had 
only  to  get  up  and  to  roll  up  his  mat  and  put 
it  under  his  arm.  How  surprised  and  how 
pleased  he  must  have  been  when  he  heard 
the  kind  words  that  Jesus  spoke !  He  had 
no  medicine  to  take  to  make  him  well.  He 
need  not  ask  any  one  to  put  him  into  the 
pool,  nor  need  he  wait  till  some  one  came 
by  to  take  hold  of  his  hand  and  help  him. 
No ;  he  had  only  to  do  as  Jesus  bid  him, — • 
to  get  up,  and  roll  his  little  bed  up  under 
his  arm,  and  walk  away  with  it.     Was  the 


MARY    AND    MARTHA.  129 

poor  lame  man  grateful  to  Jesus  for  being 
so  kind  to  .him  ?  I  hope  he  was  ;  for  a  short 
time  afterwards  Jesus  found  him  in  the 
temple  or  church.  Perhaps  he  had  gone 
there  to  thank  God  for  having  sent  his  Son, 
Jesus  Christ,  into  the  world  to  cure  poor 
lame  people,  as  well  as  to  "  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost." 

Dear  little  children,  I  think  you  have 
heard  of  the  poor  woman  named  Mary, 
who  loved  Jesus  very  much,  and  who 
poured  sweet  ointment  on  his  head,  and 
wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair.  Well,  Mary 
had  a  sister  named  Martha,  and  they  both 
dearly  loved  their  brother  Lazarus.  They 
all  three  lived  together  in  the  same  house, 
at  a  little  village  called  Bethany.  But  the 
dearest  brothers  and  sisters  are  sometimes 
parted  from  each  other  by  sickness  and 
death,  and  so  it  was  now.     Lazarus  fell  ill, 

9 


130  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

very  ill,  and  poor  Mary  and  Martha  were 
sadly  grieved.  The  first  thing  they  did  was 
to  send  for  Jesus.  They  knew  that  he  could 
cure  their  brother.  But  Jesus  was  a  long 
way  off;  and  before  he  got  to  Bethany, 
Lazarus  was  dead,  and  had  been  laid  four 
days  in  the  grave.  The  graves  in  that 
country  are  not  like  the  graves  in  our 
churchyards  here ;  they  are  hewn  or  cut  out 
of  the  rock,  and  look  like  large  caves ;  and 
then  a  stone  is  put  to  the  opening,  or  door 
of  the  cave,  and  often  the  cave  is  in  a 
garden,  among  the  trees  and  shrubs.  Our 
blessed  Saviour  himself  was  buried  in  a 
cave  in  Joseph's  garden. 

When  Jesus  got  near  to  Bethany,  Martha 
came  to  meet  him ;  and  when  she  saw  him, 
she  said,  "  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here  my 
brother  had  not  died."  Jesus  told  her  that 
her  brother  should  rise  again.     Then  Martha 


LAZARUS    RAISED    FROM    THE    DEAD.        131 

went  back  home,  and  called  her  sister  Mary, 
and  when  Mary  came,  she  also  said  to  Jesus, 
"  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here  my  brother 
had  not  died."  Poor  Mary!  the  tears  ran 
down  her  cheeks  while  she  spoke,  for  Laz- 
arus had  been  a  kind  dear  brother  to  his 
sisters,  and  now  that  he  was  dead  and 
buried,  they  thought  they  should  see  him 
no  more,  Jesus  loved  both  these  sisters, 
and  he  was  grieved  to  see  them  in  such 
sorrow.  He  even  wept  himself  when  he  saw 
them  so  unhappy.  And  what  do  you  think 
he  did  ?  He  now  performed  one  of  those 
wonderful  miracles  which  shewed  that  he 
was  indeed  the  Son  of  God,  for  no  one  else 
could  have  performed  it.  He  came  to  the 
grave  of  Lazarus,  and  told  the  people  who 
were  standing  there,  to  take  away  the  stone 
which,  as  I  said  before,  was  laid  at  the  door 
of  it.   As  soon  as  the  stone  was  rolled  away, 


132  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  prayed  to  God. 
Often,  very  often,  did  he  pray  to  his  heavenly 
Father  when  he  was  here  on  earth ;  and  so, 
dear  children,  ought  we  to  do.  If  we  are  in 
trouble,  God  will  hear  us.  If  there  is  any 
thing  we  want,  God  will  give  it  to  us  in 
answer  to  prayer,  if  He  knows  that  it  is 
really  good  for  us  to  have  it.  When  Jesus 
had  prayed,  he  cried,  with  a  loud  voice, 
"Lazarus,  come  forth!"  and  in  a  moment 
the  poor  dead  man,  who  had  been  buried 
four  days  in  the  grave,  came  to  life  again. 
How  surprised  the  people  who  were  stand- 
ing by  must  have  been  when  they  saw  him ! 
and  Martha  and  Mary,  how  full  of  joy  they 
must  have  felt  when  they  heard  their  dear 
brother  Lazarus  speak  to  them  again  in  his 
own  kind  voice,  and  saw  him  smile  upon 
them  as  he  used  to  do !  Do  you  not  think 
that  they  were  indeed  glad,  and  that  they 


THE    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  133 

loved,  more  than  ever  they  had  done  before, 
their  blessed  Saviour  who  had  performed 
this  wonderful  miracle,  and  brought  their 
dear  brother  Lazarus  back  to  life  ? 

How  thankful  we  should  be  for  the  light 
of  the  sun  !  Every  morning  when  the  sun 
shines,  every  thing  looks  beautiful.  The  sky 
is  so  blue,  and  the  grass  is  so  green,  and  the 
flowers  are  so  bright  and  gay,  and  little 
children  like  to  run  in  the  fields  and  pick 
the  wild  roses,  or  the  daisies  that  are  grow- 
ing there.  It  is  God,  the  great  and  good 
God  who  makes  them  all,  and  who  gives  us 
our  sight  to  enjoy  them.  If  we  were  blind, 
as  some  poor  people  are,  we  could  not  see 
the  pretty  flowers,  or  watch  the  light  clouds 
as  they  pass  along  the  sky,  or  see  the  little 
lambs  as  they  frisk  about  in  the  meadows. 
It  is  a  sad  thing  to  be  blind.  We  ought  to 
be  sorry  for  poor  blind  people,  and  to  do  all 


134:  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

we  can  to  help  them.  Jesus  sometimes 
cured  poor  blind  people  and  made  them  see 
again.  He  had  only  to  touch  their  eyes,  and 
their  sight  came  directly.  There  were  some 
poor  men  living  in  the  Holy  Land,  who  had 
been  blind  for  many  years,  whom  Jesus 
cured.  One  of  them  had  not  been  able  to 
see  since  he  was  born,  yet  Jesus  gave  him 
sight.  I  will  tell  you  about  it.  This  miracle 
took  place  near  a  town  of  the  Holy  Land, 
called  Jericho.  It  was  a  large  town,  and 
many  palm-trees  grew  around  it.  Jesus 
was  going  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  road  he  took 
passed  through  Jericho.  As  he  drew  near 
to  the  town,  a  sight  caught  his  eye  and 
called  forth  his  pity.  He  saw  two  blind 
men  sitting  by  the  way-side.  One  of  these 
blind  men  was  named  Bartimeus.  I  cannot 
tell  you  the  name  of  the  other.  There  were 
great   crowds   of  people    going   along   the 


BLIND    BARTIMEUS.  135 

road  at  the  same  time,  and  the  poor  blind 
men  asked  what  all  the  noise  and  bustle  was 
about.  When  they  were  told  that  Jesus  was 
passing  by,  one  of  them  cried  out  in  a  loud 
voice,  saying,  "Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  me !"  The  people  begged 
him  not  to  cry  out  so  loud ;  but  instead  of 
being  quiet,  they  both  began  to  cry  out  still 
louder,  saying,  "Have  mercy  upon  us,  0 
Lord,  thou  Son  of  David  1"  This  was  a  little 
prayer.  It  was  as  much  as  to  say,  "0  Lord, 
thou  canst  do  every  thing:  give  us  our 
sight."  Jesus  stood  still,  and  desired  some 
of  the  people  to  bring  the  blind  men  to  him. 
Bartimeus  was  so  glad  when  he  heard  this, 
that  he  threw  away  his  garment  and  came 
to  Jesus.  In  that  hot  country  people  used 
to  wear  loose  flowing  garments,  which  could 
be  easily  taken  on  and  off,  and  the  poor 
blind  man  could  run  faster  without  it.     I  do 


136  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

not  know  whether  the  other  poor  man  threw 
off  his  garment.  However,  they  both  came 
and  stood  before  Jesus.  Then  Jesus  spoke 
to  them  and  said,  "  What  will  ye  that  I  shall 
do  unto  ye?"  They  said,  "Lord  that  our 
eyes  may  be  opened."  They  longed  to  see 
the  trees,  and  the  fields,  and  the  flowers,  and 
their  friends  around  them,  and  perhaps, 
above  all,  they  longed  to  see  their  blessed 
Saviour,  of  whom  they  had  heard  so  much, 
and  who  was  now  about  to  perform  this 
wonderful  miracle  upon  them.  They  had 
not  long  to  wait.  Jesus  felt  pity  for  them. 
He  touched  their  eyes,  just  touched  them 
with  his  finger,  saying,  "  Receive  your  sight ; 
your  faith  hath  saved  you."  No  sooner  were 
the  words  spoken,  than  their  eyes  were 
opened.  The  sight  came  into  them.  How 
happy  they  must  have  felt !  How  delighted 
they  must  have  been  to  see  all  that  was 


THE    BLIND    MEN    PKAISE    GOD.  137 

going  on !  Before,  all  had  been  darkness 
and  gloom.  Now  all  was  brightness  and 
joy.  They  began  directly  to  praise  God ; 
and  all  the  people  also,  when  they  saw  it, 
gave  praise  to  God. 


CHAPTER    IY. 

The  Draught  of  Fishes  —  The  Sick  of  the  Palsy  Cured  — 
Jesus  Bids  the  Storm  to  Cease. 

HE  twelve  men  who  mostly  went 
about  with  Jesus  when  he  was  here 
on  earth,  were  called  his  twelve 
disciples.  Sometimes  Jesus  called 
them  his  friends.  What  a  happy  thing  to 
be  the  friends  of  Jesus !  It  is  worth  more 
than  all  the  world  besides.  One  of  the 
disciples,  as  you  know,  was  named  Peter, 
another  was  named  Andrew,  and  another 
was  named  John.  When  Jesus  first  called 
Peter  and  Andrew  to  come  and  follow  him, 
they  were  casting  their  nets  into  the  sea  to 
catch  fishes,  for  they  were  fishermen  ;  but  no 
sooner  did  they  hear  Jesus'  voice,  than  they 
left  their  nets  and  followed  him.    James  and 


THE    FISHERMEN.  1?9 

John  were  also  fishermen.  Now  I  will  tell 
you  of  another  miracle  that  Jesus  did.  You 
have  heard  how  he  turned  the  water  into 
wine ;  how  he  fed  a  great  many  people  with 
a  few  loaves  and  fishes  ;  how  he  raised  dead 
people  to  life  again ;  and  now  you.  shall  hear 
how  he  helped  the  poor  fishermen  when  they 
were  in  trouble  because  they  could  not  catch 
any  fish.  One  day  when  Jesus  was  walking 
on  the  sea-shore,  so  many  people  came  round 
him  to  be  taught,  and  to  hear  what  he  was 
saying,  that  there  was  hardly  room  for  them 
all,  and  his  voice  could  scarcely  be  heard  in 
the  crowd.  He  therefore  got  into  a  little 
fishing  boat  that  was  drawn  up  on  the 
beach,  and  which  belonged  to  Peter,  and 
asked  him  to  push  it  out  a  little  way  from 
the  land.  The  boat  was  empty ;  for  the 
fishermen  had  gone  away  to  wash  their  nets. 
Peter  directly  did  as  the  Lord  told  him ; 


MO  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

(     » 

and  as  Jesus  then  sat  alone  in  the  boat  he 
talked  to  the  people,  who  stood  round  him  a 
little  way  off  on  the  shore.  What  did  he  say 
to  them  ?  No  doubt  he  told  them  that  they 
must  love  God  with  their  whole  hearts,  and 
try  to  please  and  serve  him,  and  to  do  his 
holy  will  in  all  things.  He  told  them,  too, 
that  he  was  come  into  the  world  to  seek  and 
to  save  lost  sinners,  and  that  all  who  be- 
lieved in  him,  and  loved  him,  should  have 
their  sins  forgiven,  and  go  to  heaven  when 
they  died.  As  soon  as  Jesus  had  done  talk- 
ing to  the  people  that  morning,  he  told 
Peter  to  go  out  to  sea  in  his  boat  and  let 
down  the  net,  and  catch  some  fish.  Now 
Peter  and  the  other  fishermen  had  been  out 
in  their  boats  all  the  night  long,  for  in  the 
dark  night  the  fish  come  into  the  nets  better 
than  in  the  day-time ;  but  they  had  caught 
nothing.     Though  they  had   been   hard   at 


X*   &ti 

I    # 

. 

' 

■ 

ban 

. 

"dtm*% 

il&*#d     I 

'^)lf^O 

gr  it 

, 


THE  DRAUGHT  OF  FISHES 


THE    DRAUGHT    OF    FISHES.  141 

work  all  night,  not  a  single  fish  had  come 
into  their  nets.  Do  you  think  Peter  was 
surprised  when  Jesus  told  him  to  go  and 
fish  again  ?  Perhaps  he  was ;  but  still  he 
did  what  Jesus  told  him.  He  only  said, 
"Master,  we  have  toiled  all  the  night  and 
have  taken  nothing ;  nevertheless,  at  thy 
command,  I  will  let  down  the  net."  This 
shewed  his  faith.  By  faith  I  mean,  believing 
that  whatever  Jesus  says  must  be  true.  No 
doubt  Peter  was  very  glad  that  he  had 
obeyed  Christ's  command ;  for  as  soon  as  the 
net  was  let  down  into  the  water,  so  many 
fishes  came  into  it  that  it  began  to  break  ; 
and  they  caught  more  than  enough  to  fill 
Peter's  boat.  So  many,  indeed,  that  they 
had  to  beckon  to  the  people  who  were  in 
the  other  boats  to  come  and  help  them. 
And  when  they  came,  they  too  filled  their 
boats  quite  full  of  fish.     Was  not  this  very 


1,42  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

wonderful  ?  Jesus  could  do  every  thing. 
He  could  make  the  fishes  in  the  sea  come 
into  the  nets  when  he  pleased,  just  as  easily 
as  he  could  give  sight  to  a  blind  man,  or 
raise  a  dead  man  to  life.  James  and  John 
and  Peter  were  very  much  surprised ;  they 
were  almost  frightened  when  they  saw  how 
wonderful  and  how  powerful  Jesus  was. 
But  Jesus  said  to  them  kindly,  "Fear  not, 
from  henceforth  you  shall  catch  men."  By 
this  he  meant,  that  they  should  teach  and 
preach  to  the  people,  and  shew  them  the 
way  to  love  and  serve  God,  and  that  the 
people  would  listen  to  them  and  come  to 
them  to  be  taught,  just  as  the  fishes  came 
into  the  net. 

After  Jesus  had  performed  this  miracle, 
Peter  and  the  other  fishermen  left  their 
boats  and  their  nets,  and  followed  Jesus. 
They  loved  him   so   much   that   they  were 


JESUS    STOPS    AT    CAPERNAUM.  143 

ready  to  give  up  every  tiling  to  become  his 
disciples.  We  should  he  ready  to  do  the 
same.  Children  should  be  ready  to  give  up 
their  own  little  pleasures  whenever  it  is 
thought  right  they  should  do  so. 

When  Jesus  Christ  was  here  on  earth,  he 
was,  as  I  have  often  told  you,  always  going 
about  doing  good.  He  cured  so  many  sick 
people,  that  wherever  he  went,  other  sick 
people  were  brought  to  him  in  hopes  that 
he  would  cure  them  also.  He  was  once 
stopping  at  a  place  called  Capernaum ;  and 
when  it  was  known  that  he  was  there,  such 
great  numbers  of  people  came  around  him 
that  very  soon  the  house  was  quite  full. 
Now  there  was  a  poor  man  who  was  sick  of 
the  palsy.  He  had  been  ill  a  very  long 
time,  and  he  could  not  walk  about  as  you 
can,  or  do  any  thing  for  himself.  He  had, 
however,    some    kind   friends,    who    carried 


144  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

him  on  his  little  bed,  and  brought  him  to 
the  house  where  Jesus  was  staying ;  but 
when  they  got  there,  there  was  such  a  crowd 
around  the  door  that  they  could  not  get  in. 
What  do  you  think  they  did  ?  Did  they  put 
the  poor  man  in  through  the  window,  or  did 
they  carry  him  back  again  ?  No  ;  I  will  tell 
you  how  they  managed.  The  houses  in  the 
Holy  Land  are  not  made  with  sloping. roofs, 
like  the  houses  in  this  country ;  they  are  flat 
at  the  top,  so  that  people  can  walk  on  them, 
and  there  are  stairs  outside  the  house  which 
lead  up  to  the  roof,  so  that  people  can  go  up 
outside  without  going  in-doors.  Well,  this 
is  what  the  poor  men  did.  They  carried  the 
poor  man  sick  of  the  palsy  in  his  little  bed 
up  to  the  top  of  the  house,  and  then  made  a 
hole  in  the  roof,  and  tied  four  cords  to  the 
sick  man's  bed,  and  let  him  down  into  the 
middle  of  the  room  where  Jesus  was.      Do 


THE    SICK    OF    THE    PALSY    CURED.  145 

you  think  Jesus  made  the  poor  man  well? 
Yes ;  he  spoke  kindly  to  him,  and  told  him 
to  take  up  his  bed  and  walk.  How  thank- 
ful he  must  have  been  to  find  he  was  able 
to  do  so !  The  people  who  brought  the  poor 
man  to  Jesus  had  no  need  to  carry  him  back 
again,  for  now  he  could  use  his  limbs  and 
walk  as  well  as  they  could.  The  moment 
that  Jesus  spoke  to  him  he  got  up,  placed 
his  little  bed  under  his  arm,  for,  as  I  have 
told  you  before,  the  beds  in  that  country  can 
be  rolled  up  like  mats,  and  went  back  to  his 
own  home,  praising  and  blessing  Jesus 
Christ. 

Sometimes  we  go  to  the  sea-side  in  the 
summer,  when  all  is  calm  and  bright. 
Little  children  often  like  to  sit  down  and 
play  on  the  wide  smooth  sands,  and  pick  up 
pretty    shells    and    sea-weed.      Sometimes 

they  look  at  the  little  boats  as  they  glide 

10 


146  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

along  on  the  water,  or  watch  the  waves  as 
they  gently  roll  on  the  beach.  All  this  is 
very  pleasant,  and  whilst  we  enjoy  it  we 
should  think  of  the  great  and  good  God  who 
made  the  great  sea,  and  who  said  to  it, 
"Hitherto  shalt  thou  come  and  no  farther, 
and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed." 
Sometimes,  however,  a  storm  arises;  and 
then,  instead  of  being  so  calm  and  beautiful, 
the  sea  dashes  up  on  the  beach,  and  the 
great  roaring  waves  beat  over  each  other  in 
the  most  frightful  manner — the  wind  blows ; 
the  tempest  rages — and  ships  and  boats  are 
in  the  greatest  danger.  When  Jesus  was 
here  on  earth  he  was  once  sailing,  with  his 
disciples,  in  one  of  their  little  ships,  when  a 
violent  storm  came  on.  The  wind  blew  so 
much  that  the  ship  was  covered  with  the 
waves.  Jesus  had  been  talking  and  preach- 
ing to  the  people  during  the  day,  and  he  was 


JESUS    CALMS    THE    STORM.  147 

so  tired  that  he  went  to  sleep  on  a  pillow, 
in  the  hinder  part  of  the  ship.  Soon  the 
waves  dashed  so  high  as  to  cover  the  boat, 
and  it  began  to  fill  with  water.  The  dis- 
ciples were  quite  frightened,  for  they  thought 
it  would  soon  sink  in  the  sea,  and  that  they 
should  all  be  drowned.  So  they  went  to 
Jesus  and  awoke  him,  crying,  "Lord,  save 
us,  we  perish."  This  shewed  their  faith.  I 
mean,  it  shewed  that  they  believed  Jesus 
could  save  them ;  and  so  he  did.  For  he  got 
up  directly  his  disciples  called  to  him, 
and  stopped  the  wind,  and  the  raging  of 
the  water,  so  that  there  was  a  great  calm. 
How  did  he  stop  them?  Only  by  speak- 
ing a  word ;  he  said,  "  Peace,  be  still ;" 
and  all  was  hushed  directly.  The  wind 
left  off  blowing ;  the  waves  dashed  no 
longer ;  the  little  ship  again  glided  gently 
and  smoothly  along,  until  they  reached  the 


148  THE    MIRACLES    OF    OUR    SAVIOUR. 

shore.  The  disciples,  although  they  had 
seen  so  many  wonderful  miracles  done  by 
Jesus,  could  not  help  being  surprised,  and 
they  said  to  each  other,  "What  manner  of 
man  is  this,  that  even  the  winds  and  the  sea 
obey  him?"  Yes,  dear  little  children,  Jesus 
can  do  every  thing ;  he  can  still  the  roaring 
of  the  sea ;  he  can  protect  us  when  we  are 
in  danger;  he  can  keep  us  safe  when  we 
are  on  a  journey;  he  can  make  us  well 
when  we  are  ill ;  he  can  comfort  us  when 
we  are  in  trouble;  he  can  wash  away  our 
sins  in  his  own  precious  blood ;  he  can  take 
us  to  heaven  when  we  die ;  he  can  make  us 
happy  for  ever  and  ever. 


Published  by  Evans  Sf  Dicker  son. 


INDESTRUCTIBLE 

PRINTED  ON  LINEN,   BHATJTIFr/LLY  COLOKED,  NAMELY  I 

DEATH  AND  BURIAL  OF  COCK  ROBIN. 
OLD  MOTHER  HUBBARD. 
LITTLE  BO  PEEP. 
CAT  AND  THE  MOUSE. 

These  are  capital  books  for  children,  as  they  can  not  be  torn,  and  can 
be  restored  to  nearly  their  natural  beauty  by  being  ironed  out  after  they 
have  apparently  been  hopelessly  damaged  by  infantile  combativeness. 

"  I  keep  my  little  boy  quiet  by  the  hour  in  reciting  to  him  from  your  books  the  mournful 
history  of  poor  '  Cock  Robin,'  and  the  remarkable  feats  of  that  noted  dog  of  '  Old  Mother 
Hubbard.' — Communication  to  the  publisher  from"  the  head  of  a  family." 

HARRY'S  LADDER  TO  LEARNING; 

In  Progressive  Steps.  The  Picture  Book — The  Horn  Book — Nursery 
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easy  and  a  delightful  task.  It  is  by  making  the  path  to  knowledge  inviting  that  the  young 
will  be  allured  from  thoughtless  and  mischievous  play. 

PARLOR  MAGIC. 

Comprising  a  Series  of  Experiments,  Chemical  and  Optical ;  Sleights 
and  Subtleties,  Entertainments,  etc.,  etc.,  for  the  Instruction  and 
Amusement  of  Youth.  Numerous  Engravings  on  "Wood.  Third 
edition.     $1.50. 


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The  celebrated  Stories  of  the  Brothers  Grimm.     Complete  edition. 

Embellished  with  200  small  and  36  full-page  Illustrations.     2  vols. 

crown  8vo,  cloth,  extra  gilt.     $3. 
The  same,  3  vols.,  with  the  large  plates  colored.     Cloth,  gilt  extra. 

$4  50. 


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Each  volume  complete  in  itself,  and  can  be  sold  separately. 


ADVENTURES  OF  A  BEAR,  AND  A  GREAT  BEAR,  TOO ; 

By  Alfred  Elwes.  Nine  Illustrations  by  Harrison  Weir,  colored 
Plates.     Small  4to,  cloth.     $1.50. 

Bound  uniform  with  the  "Adventures  of  a  l>og,v  and  together  with  that  popular  book, 
has  enjoyed  an  immense  sale. 

THE  BOY'S  OWN  BOOK; 

A  complete  Encyclopaedia  of  all  the  Diversions,  Athletic,  Scientific, 
and  Recreative,  of  Boyhood  and  Youth.  With  several  hundred 
Wood  Cuts.  New  edition,  greatly  enlarged  and  improved,  hand- 
somely bound.     $2.50. 

This  book  will  be  read  with  the  deepest  interest  as  long  as  boys  love  sport  and  parents 
desire  to  afford  them  innocent  amusement.  ...     ' 

ROUND  GAMES  FOR  ALL  PARTIES ; 

A  ColfeBtioli  of  the  greatest  variety  of  Family  AmiiSi&gefits,  for  Fire- 
side or'Pic  Nic  ;  for  the  use  of  Old  and  Youiig,  £ntra$jjf*&?dr&>  the 
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Square  12mo,  cloth*    $1.50^:?^ 

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out this  complete  book  of  innocent  and  amusing  games. 

ACTING  CHARADE5 ; 

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short.  By  the  Brothers  Mayhcw.  Illustrated  by  H.  G.  II inc. 
Small  4to,  cloth,  gilt  edges.     $1.50. 


Published  by  Evans  §•  Dicker  son. 


THE    BEST   AND   CHEAPEST   JUVENILE   MAGAZINE   IN 
THE    UNITED   STATES. 


Edited  by 
MR.  W.  C.  RICHARDS  AND  "COUSIN  ALICE." 


This  work  has  been  in  existence  for  five  years,  during  which  time  it 
has  acquired  a  degree  of  popularity  unrivalled  in  the  history  of  juvenile 
works,  and  frequently  been  pronounced  by  the  press,  both  North  and 
South,  "  the  best  and  cheapest  Juvenile  Magazine  in  the  United  States." 

The  Schoolfellow  is  devoted  to  the  instruction  and  gratification  of  the 
young  of  both  sexes,  and  aims  at  the  cultivation  of  the  heart  as  well  as 
of  the  mind.  It  is  an  original  magazine,  and  its  articles  are  prepared 
for  its  pages  by  many  of  the  best  writers  for  the  young  in  the  country. 
Heretofore  edited  by  Mr.  Richards,  it  will  continue  under  his  general 
superintendence,  with  the  constant  aid  of  "  Cousin  Alice,"  (Mrs.  Alice 
B.  Neal,)  the  popular  author  of  the  "  Home  Books,"  whose  name  alone 
is  a  talisman  to  command  the  love  and  favor  of  children,  supported  by  a 
large  number  of  favorite  writers. 

The  Pictorial  Illustrations  of  the  work  are  engraved  from  choice  and 
original  designs,  by  skillful  artists,  and  are  unequalled  in  variety  and 
beauty  by  those  of  any  other  Juvenile  Magazine. 

Great  improvements  have  been  made  without  regard  to  expense,  and 
consist  of  a  larger  number  of  pages,  new  and  handsomer  type,  more 
Illustrations  and  better  executed.  Postmasters  are  requested  to  act  as 
agents  for  the  work,  and  may  retain  the  usual  commission  for  new  sub- 
scribers. Specimen  copies  sent  gratis  on  application,  post-paid,  to  the 
Publishers.     The  volume  commences  with  the  January  Number,  and 


Books  for  Young  People. 


back  numbers  of  the  volume  will  always  be  forwarded.  To  any  who 
wish  them,  we  can  supply  bound  volumes  of  the  Schoolfellow  from 
the  first,  at  $1  25  per  volume. 

Terms  :  One  Dollar  a  year,  in  advance. 

EVANS  &  DICKERSON,  Publishers, 

697  Broadway,  New-York. 

OPINIONS   OP   THE   PRESS. 

From  almost  an  innumerable  number  of  notices  kindly  and  voluntarily 
given  the  Schoolfellow,  we  select  the  following  : 

"  We  can  recommend  it  as  one  well  calculated  to  interest  and  enlighten  the  rising  genera- 
tion."— Jeffersonian  Republican. 

"  A  beautiful  little  magazine.  Its  contents  are  very  nicely  adapted  to  the  age  and  capa- 
city of  youth,  and  are  of  a  pleasing  and  elevating  character." — Syracuse  Journal. 

"  It  is  a  perfect  gem  in  the  way  of  print  and  illustrations.  If  all  parents  paid  proper 
attention  to  the  reading  of  their  little  ones,  and  awakened  in  them  a  love  of  books  by  fur- 
nishing them  with  tales  and  sprightly  miscellanies  such  as  this,  we  should  have  few  such 
precocious  men  and  women  as  some  of  our  young  friends  we  know  of." — Godey's  Lady's 
Book. 

"  We  call  the  attention  of  those  who  need  to  purvey  mental  aliment  for  the  young  to  this 
magazine.  The  names  of  the  editors  will  be  a  guarantee  of  the  skillful  adaptation  of  the 
work  to  those  for  whom  it  is  designed,  and  also  of  its  sound  moral  tendency." — JV.  Y.  Recorder. 

"  The  work  is  cheap,  and  a  dollar  thus  invested  will  pay  a  better  interest  than  twenty 
times  that  amount  otherwise  paid  for  the  amusement  of  the  young." — Temperance  Advo- 
cate, (S.  C.) 

"  It  is  an  original  magazine,  and  its  articles  are  prepared  by  many  of  the  best  writers  for 
the  young  in  this  country." — Vermont  Statesman. 

"  Replete  with  matter  which  is  at  once  pleasant  and  instructive.  A  delightful  periodical 
for  youth." — Saratoga  Whiff. 

"  Every  youth  from  five  to  fifteen  should  be  in  possession  of  it" — Mich.  Citizen. 

"  The  reading  matter  is  of  the  right  sort." — North-Carolina  News. 

"  No  family,  where  children  are,  should  be  without  it" — Mass.  Telegraph. 

"  It  is  well  calculated  to  encourage  the  young  to  aspire  to  excellence  and  fame.  It  is  both 
entertaining  and  instructive,  and  is  unsurpassed  by  any  magazine  of  its  kind.— TV.  Y.  Com. 
Advertiser. 

"  A  lively  miscellany  of  decided  merit,  from  the  pens  of  some  of  our  best  writers  for 
children.  It  is  pervaded  by  a  wholly  moral  tone,  and  deserves  an  increase  of  its  already 
extensive  circulation." — Evangelical  Catholic. 


